A Magical Subsistance
by Chaos Productions
Summary: Disbelief has always been a part of every man - and when a young boy who yearns for acknowledgement has his own suspended, his world as he knows it is changed. With his sorrow snuffed, his pain eased, his loneliness cast away and his weakness turned into strength, Naruto Uzumaki learns something important: In the face of magic, nothing is impossible.
1. Chapter 1

_**Edit 2013/04/29**_** Just a small note – when I published this story, I was young, impressionable and (regretfully) downright stupid, because I thought god-mode OC's were the best things in FF. Now that a few years have passed, I realize I was being a fool. So: **_**CAUTION.**_ **This story DOES contain a god-mode OC, and yes, he IS a central character for the two prologue chapters. **

**HOWEVER: Because of how poorly received such OC's are in general, I have planned to limit his interaction with the storyline to almost ridiculous levels. This story does NOT focus on a god-mode OC stomping every character – Naruto is still the main character of the story, and I like to think I've made him believably powered. If you're still offended by the notion of a god-mode OC's presence, please feel free to click the back-button in your browser. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy the read.**

**PROLOGUE PART 1  
The Visitors**

**Six years before the start of the series…**

Flashes of white splayed out across building walls and tree trunks as the thunder roared amongst the howling winds and pitch dark sky hanging over Konoha, a perfect embodiment of the monstrous storm haunting the clouds above it, completely blocking out any rays of moonlight. The massive downpour of rain hammered against every surface, bounding off on impact and falling almost gracefully to the ground, accompanied by more cracks as the lightning forked and arched above the village.

With a loud crash, the topmost part of a cliff near the village shattered as a war hammer of macabre design struck the edge, neatly blasting a dent into it as chunks of rock fell to the ground below. With a proud smirk, a titanic silhouette towering over eight feet tall hefted the hammer so it rested on its shoulder, chuckling at the damage such a light swing had done. "I will never get tired of that…" A male voice drifted from the silhouette's face, as another bolt of lightning illuminated his body, revealing the man's form. His arms, pillars of flesh and muscle, flowed into broad shoulders and a muscular torso covered only by a tight-fitting sweatshirt. Gauntlets of sharp bone decorated his lower arms, and the black, fingerless gloves he wore took compliment from the grisly display of shards and bolts etched into his fingers as well as the back of his hand. Straps bearing an assortment of bones, teeth and blades crossed over his chest and back, further amplifying the small skull mounted on his belt buckle. The chains hanging from it, draped over his cargo pants, stretched down to his knees, where the spiky shin guards covering his boots gleamed ominously, and his skeletal, horned helm bore stains of different colours of red.

"Can't you take a simple order, you overgrown beef-stick?" A female voice laced with disappointment and anger echoed next to him, just as a bright blue flash brought the outlines of a young girl to view. With a bored expression, she cast her sapphire-coloured eyes to him, wet, pale blue hair swaying in the breeze as her milky skin stood out in the darkness. Crossing her arms over her chest, pinning her black, sleeveless jacket down in the process, she glared at the man, high-heeled leather boots shining as the rain poured down them, soaking her jeans and her elbow-length gloves. "Dammit, Kahn, Master's not going to be impressed by this…"

"Relax, Safaia." The giant Kahn replied with a growl. "There isn't anyone in this little camp that can do crap about what I did there."

"Mainly because your breath and clothes reek of old blood and filth, and the fact that you growl like a rabid dog while thinking, no?" Safaia taunted. "Please, Kahn, just because you like fighting and using your fists doesn't mean there's nobody who can take you down a notch. If Borgia saw that -"

"Saw what, exactly?" A bemused voice echoed from the shadows, cutting her off in mid-sentence as a man donning a red and black combat suit stepped from the trees, steel-soled boots crushing pebbles as he strode forward. His long black hair stuck to the sides of his face hanging into his cold, golden eyes as the mantle over his left arm and back swayed in the strong gust of wind. The handles of the two katanas strapped to his back stood out in the darkness like two silver-blue prongs, and his gloved fists squeaked from the friction, grazing the ribbons of blue fibre tied to the pommels of two knives mounted across his lower back. "What did he do this time, Safaia? Something that will upset Master again?"

"No!" Safaia quickly waved her hands in front of her, dismissing the question. "No, no, nonono… He did nothing of the sort, Borgia. He only… Uhm… Released some tension, is all."

"Release tension, my ass!" Kahn said harshly. "I knocked that cliff to bits 'cuz I felt like it." Borgia glared at him in response, before looking past both him and Safaia. "Did you see anything, Victor?" He asked, as both Safaia and Kahn groaned, slowly craning their necks to look behind them. Sure enough, there, with his black balaclava covering the lower half of his face, and bandages covering his eyes, stood their last comrade, as still as a statue with the stoicism to match. The dark brown leather vest he was wearing, with sharp, steel shards extending over his shoulders, covered the top of his torso, supporting a holster for a very long, very jagged knife on the back, as well as a few slots for throwing knives, smoke bombs and the odd explosive or two. The silver braces covering his lower arms each housed a razor-sharp folding blade, and a metal cestus covered each hand. His flat-topped shoes blended with the shadows on the ground, flowing into the solid black shin guards and his dark gray jean. His balaclava extended into a full mask, covering every part of his head except his eyes and the bridge of his nose, which were, in turn, masked by bandages. A short, spiky ponytail protruded from the back of his head.

"Answer something for me, Victor." Borgia asked, receiving a nod of the head as the only confirmation from Victor. "Am I correct when I say there is only one cliff as large as this one near Konoha?" Victor nodded, silent as a mouse. "And, correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't that cliff be the revered Hokage Monument?" Victor nodded again, and Kahn gulped.

"This… This is that face-mountain-thingy of theirs?" He asked softly, looking back at Victor, who only nodded. Quickly, he rushed to the side of the cliff, and almost yelled when he saw that a chunk of rock had been broken off the face of the rightmost Hokage, one with spiky hair. "Oh, crap…" He sighed, quickly spinning back to face his three comrades. "Master can't know about this! Nobody must tell him! Especially you," he jabbed a finger at Borgia, "you Teacher's Pet!" It seemed like Borgia had an answer on the tip of his tongue, but fell silent and averted his gaze elsewhere. Kahn only realised why too late.

"_What be it that I may not know of, Kahn?_" A deep, hollow voice sounded behind him, and as if on cue, Borgia, Safaia and Victor could see the colour leave their comrade's face right through his helm. Slowly, Kahn turned around to see a spiralling circle of shadow hovering in midair, a single sharp, red eye with a golden iris and lining staring at him from the blackness with a look of expectation and a hint of malice. As if undeterred by the rain, the shadows spread, slowly forming a black, faceless mask with two of the sharp, red eyes, covered by a hood hanging across two shoulders, travelling down a chest and a back until ending in arrowhead shapes. Two heavily robed arms extended from the shoulders, eventually meeting a crossed stance across the figure's chest, arms and hands hidden by the wide sleeves of the monk-like robe. Eventually the robe had formed all the way to the ground, hidden in a haze of shadow and hiding the figure's feet. Several more arrowhead-tipped straps hung from the robe's back, each dancing as the winds blew and the rain poured. "_Be there something you wish to state to me, Kahn?_" The robed entity asked, its eyes showing the only emotion in its facial area.

"N-n-n-no, Mast-t-er…" Kahn stuttered, immediately falling to his knees, ground shaking as he landed. "A… A f-foolish mistake on m-my part, Master, n-nothing to be-"

"_What have you done this time, disciple?_" The entity demanded. "_This reaction be only present when you know your punishment shall be brutal. So what devilries have you partook in this time?_"

"He broke the Hokage Monument…" Borgia cooed, earning a look of disbelief from his two of his comrades, and a look of unbridled rage from Kahn.

"_I see…_" The entity said softly, eyes turning completely crimson, spurred by its fury. "_You shall receive your punishment when our destination has been reached, Kahn. Because of your incompetence, lack of proper discipline and childish demeanour, I must now right your injustices by my own hand. You will _not_ escape this so easily…_" It said, turning its attention to the village. Its eyes narrowed as it looked upon Konoha, before it turned back to its disciples. "_Set up camp near here. We shall turn in for the night. I must now go speak with the Hokage concerning the damage to the monument._" It stated. "_Now be gone, and leave me to my thoughts._" The entity turned back to Konoha, observing it thoroughly as it heard the crunching of leaves and the cracking of pebbles die down. With a soft sigh, it studied the small village.

_The more things change, the more they truly remain the same…_ It thought. _This town, this village, is exactly how it was when I first came here forty years ago… However, this time there is something else here, something new, something my disciples fail to see. I do not blame them for their blindness, however. No mere human can see that which I see clear as day. No mere mortal can observe such calamity with a simple glance. This tide, this cloud of hate, of malice, of disgust, it seeps from the very foundations of the buildings, towering into the air in thick spires of solid fog. I can see sneers, frowns and curses hidden by forced smiles and false happiness. I can see the suffering the people of this village have gone through as if it were swirling before my very eyes… This calamity… It truly be a spectre to behold with the refined eye, a monument to the corruption and darkness of hearts, spurred by one wrong decision… _It thought as it observed the thick fog of darkness rippling through the village through its own eyes, seeing the different shades of black and grey representing fear, hatred and misfortune among the sorrowing souls of the village. _Jiraya… It seems whatever choice your student has made has led to this wave of calamity…_ Its eyes rested on the area where the fog was thickest; observing it move through the streets and alleys at a slow, steady pace. _It would seem I have found the source of this chaos… _It mused as it watched. _Let us see what horrors these walls restrain…_

Another flash of lighting arced across the sky, and another strong gust blew. However, there were no black robes to illuminate, no arrowhead-tipped strips to dance in the wind. For the instant the lightning flashed, the entity had disappeared.

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki panted heavily as he raced through the city streets. The storm hit just as he decided to head along to his 'home', and it had become so violent in such a short time that he had no choice but to take shelter under one of the porches near him. Now, just for sheltering from the rain, a group of six men were chasing him mercilessly, bellowing cusses at him from afar. His six-year-old body could not outrun them, so he had taken to ducking and diving into and out of several alleys and side streets as he fled, to no avail. The men's cries were becoming louder, clearer, and each threat and insult made his heart hammer in his chest and his breathing grow heavier.

Just as he skidded around a corner, his foot slipped in a puddle of water and he was sent rolling to the other side of the street, abruptly stopping when the back of his head hit a concrete wall, sending pain spreading through his head like wildfire. With watery eyes and a swimming vision, he looked up - straight at the six men who were chasing him, the leader grinning as he stepped closer to the boy. "Did you really think I'd let a runt like you use _my_ porch for shelter, brat?" He asked, delivering a kick to the boys ribs before picking him up by the collar and tossing him into the middle of the street, where the other five surrounded him. "I'll teach you to -"

_**SHINK!**_

A loud yell of pain left the leader's throat as a long, black spear pierced his back, cutting all the way through his body before breaking out of his chest, tip embedding itself in the street. Gasping and rasping in disbelief, the man started to tremble as he saw the spear sinking into the ground, causing a large, black circle to appear before him. As soon as the whole spear disappeared, two tendrils shot to his shadow, connecting it and the circle, and before he could blink, the circle was gone, merged with his shadow. He saw the expressions of fear on his friends' faces as his vision began to swim, and just as he felt himself fall forwards, his world went black.

"Did your parents not teach you to restrain from a assaulting a minor, vile entities?" A hollow, dark voice called from the top of one of the buildings. The remaining five gasped as they looked up, observing solid crimson eyes on a pitch-dark mask, covered by a black hood with straps running down the chest, ending in sharp tips. More of the strips hung from the back of the hood, and the figure's monk robe was darker than the night sky. Each hand was tucked into the opposite sleeve, hiding his arms in the wide openings as it stared at them with murderous intent. In a flash, the figure reappeared before them on the ground, drawing yelps from them as they hopped back. A blanket of shadows formed under Naruto's amazed, fearful form and carried him to the area behind the figure, where it dissipated. The boy remained there; utterly dazed at the fact that person had pulled off a jutsu without any hand seals or words. Slowly, it turned its gaze back to Naruto, and a golden iris appeared in its crimson eye. "_Be you harmed, boy?_" It asked. "_Be you in need of healing?_"

"Oi! Don't just ignore us here!" One of the men summoned the courage to call to the figure. "You just killed our friend and now you dare to ignore us?" He called angrily. "Just who the hell are you? What gave you the right to kill him!" The figure shot another crimson glare at the man, silencing him as a spire of shadow rose next to it. Naruto gaped in awe as the shadows took the form of a long, elaborate staff, made of a smooth black metal with a four-talon claw at the top, holding a crystal diamond in place. Slowly, the figure drew its hands from its sleeves and wrapped one around the staff. The remaining five men trembled in fear as they saw the smooth, clawed hands protruding from the sleeves, seemingly devoid of detail as the fingers arched into sharp nails.

With a simple twitch of its wrist, eight spheres of shadow shot from the figure's staff, hovering above it. With a low hum, it started to split until hundreds of them surrounded the five men, and in an instant, each sphere started to convulse and chains. Naruto saw the colour leave the men's faces as each sphere took the shape of a ten-foot-long sword of varying shapes.

"I am known as Archos." The figure spoke with a murderous voice. "And I be your executioner this night."

With another flick of its wrist, the swords shot forwards, and a cacophony of screams, a boy's cry and the sound of steel cutting flesh echoed throughout the night. And in a minute, it was all over. No more screams. No more sounds of swords cutting through flesh. Only the slight chattering of teeth, coming from a small boy.

Victor, Kahn, Safaia and Borgia each shuddered as they sat around the campfire, knowing the chilling sensation, the wave of cold and dread creeping up their spines all too well, having learned that the omen never bode well when their master, Archos, was involved. Safaia pulled knees up to her chin while Kahn nervously cracked his knuckles. Slowly, Borgia turned to Victor.

"Master… Master just killed somebody… Right?" He asked shakily.

Victor only nodded, and turned away.

Naruto quivered as he watched the scene unfold, a mix of awe, horror and shock on his face. Out of nowhere, this Archos person summoned over a hundred swords of shadow with just a flick of his wrist - _just_ a flick of his wrist. Turning his attention to the grisly scene before him, he shuddered as he saw each of the five men reduced to fleshy pincushions for the obscenely large blades. With several sickening squelches, the swords quickly dissipated merged with the shadows in the vicinity, leaving only five bodies cut and slashed beyond recognition. Slowly scurrying back from where he was, he attempted to stand up and run away. He got up onto his feet, ignoring the pain in his stomach, and turned - only to come face-to-face with Archos.

He froze. Even with his mind screaming at him to turn away and run, he felt those red eyes freeze the very blood in his veins with fear; he could have sworn his heart had skipped a considerable amount of beats when he met those eyes. There they stood, in the savage downpour; One tall, ghostly figure clutching a staff, seemingly oblivious to the storm, and one terrified little boy, shaking from the cold. Archos slowly lifted his staff, causing Naruto's breathing to increase as he pointed it at the boy, and softly chanted in a tongue the boy could not grasp.

"_Vigoratus quod Restituo , Unus orbis."_

A sudden bright light shot from the tip of the staff, forming a single circle filled with arcane signs and runes as a bolt of light shot from the centre, making impact with Naruto's chest before the boy could even register the chant had ended. A sudden warm, fuzzy feeling pulsed through his tiny body as he felt the pain in his stomach and the back of his head disappear, replaced but a feeling that made the boy close his eyes and exhale in relief. He wished that he could always feel like this, this warm, fuzzy within him making him drowsy as he stood. However, within a moment, the light died out, and Naruto opened his eyes to see Archos floating away, a mist of black in the area where his robe touched the ground. Hurriedly, he ran after the figure, against his better judgement. "Oi! Strong guy - Uh, sir! Wait up, will ya?"

Archos stopped and looked around, seeing the young boy run toward him with a relieved expression on his young face. "_What be it you want, little one?_" It asked.

"Thanks for saving me back there, mister! That was great! It was - It was - You just flicked your hand and _pow!_ All those mean men get beaten. That was cool!" He said enthusiastically. "And then you healed me so easily too!" He looked at the crimson eyes in Archos' mask, seeing once again the golden irises that resided in the centre. "Please, mister, tell me: What were those techniques you used? Were they genjutsus? Or an advanced ninjutsu? Or-"

"_They were not the techniques you ninja utilise._" Archos responded as he turned away and stalked on. "_Now leave me be, little one. I have urgent matters to tend to._"

"Aw, come on, mister!" Naruto pleaded as he ran after Archos. "I can't use them just yet - but I need strong attacks when I become Hokage one day!" He saw Archos turn and look at him with a raised brow. "Oh yeah! I'm gonna train hard and become Hokage one day - then everyone will have to acknowledge me! Believe it!"

Archos grunted. "_It is good to see you have a steadfast goal at your young age, little one._" He said as he turned around and walked on. "_I wish you the best of luck in reaching that goal; but know that even if you become Hokage, you shall not be able to use my skills without the correct training, and I be sympathetic to say that what you need be not ninja training._"

"Huh?" Naruto asked, stopping for a minute before chasing after Archos again. "Mister! Hey mister! What do you mean by that? Why won't ninja training help me?" Archos did not answer. Instead, he simply raised his staff and tapped the ground with it. In a second, a sphere of moving ground and earth encased them, moving around them at such a speed that the dust and loose sand seemed to form a haphazard wall around them. "Whoa…" Naruto's jaw dropped in awe as he saw the technique. Again, Archos flicked his wrist and the sphere of earth burst into fire with a fierce flash of blinding crimson hues. Naruto felt the wind leave his lungs as he watched the chunks of earth turn into molten rock within seconds before his very eyes. A movement from Archos made the boy look back at him, just in time to see it snap its fingers. With several loud cracks, the molten rock froze solidly in its tracks, the spires of dancing flame protruding both inwards and out. The shock and disbelief, as well as the excitement and awe, was enough to bring the young boy to his knees, gaping at the frozen fire around them. He heard Archos smirk again, and saw it tap the ground with its staff again. With an almighty _crash!_ the sphere burst into pieces, shards of ice flying everywhere, again rendering the young boy speechless. Archos then flicked his wrist again, and with a loud splash, the ice turned to water in midair. Slowly, it turned to face him, and Naruto could see in its eyes that it was smiling.

"_I am not a ninja, little one._" Archos said, locking eyes with Naruto. The boy felt an unknown feeling in the pit of his stomach, as if he knew that Archos was about to reveal something so great that it would knock him off his feet as easily as the cloaked person had defeated those bad men. Naruto saw a slight hint of pride in Archos' eyes, and then it spoke:

"_I am a mage._"

* * *

**THE BOOK OF SORCERY  
Here lays an archive of spells used the world around…**

- _Vigoratus quod Restituo , Unus orbis.- _Latin, _Heal and Revitalise, One Circle._ Basic healing spell utilizing the unsealing of one of ten possible Arcane Circles, releases an amount of magical energy into the recipient's body and in so doing, heals minor wounds.

* * *

A/N: Done! Signed, sealed, delivered! Yes, ladies and gents, _a mage!_ A freakin' super-powerful one at that as well. So five OCs: Archos the Mage, and his disciples Kahn, Safaia, Borgia and Victor… Are they good characters? Or did I make a grave mistake rebooting this series with OCs? Hell, did I make a mistake by just rebooting the series at all? That, my friends, is something only you would know! And something I would like to know, for that matter. So please, guys, leave me a review and tell me what you think. I need to improve, and the only people who can help me are YOU GUYS! The readers…

So thanks for taking the time to read. I really hope you guys enjoyed it…


	2. Chapter 2

**PROLOGUE PART 2  
Take me along too!**

"A… A m-mage?" Naruto asked in a daze, slowly feeling the shock of the revelation sap the strength from his legs and lungs. "As… As in… You know… A magician? A W-wizard?" He asked, eyes at their widest. He had just witnessed magic - real magic - and he wouldn't even have known it had he not run after his black-clad guardian angel.

"_Magician? What do you take me for, boy?"_ Archos frowned. "_I be not some wayward old fool dependant on card tricks and sleights of hand to subsist, nor be I an elderly act bent on sating the ever-thirsting imagination of youth. I be a mage, boy - there be a world's difference. I make not simple tricks with playing cards, ropes and canvas in my gloves. I harbour my own magica - the unseen magic, that which you call miracles, extraordinary happenings and the paranormal. I fight, I kill, I live - I sustain and devour life by the magic I control. Much as you ninja utilize your chakra to create your jutsu, I use my energy for my spells; spells created for good and evil, for life and death - for light and darkness. That is where our magic excels over your techniques._"

Naruto stood with a dumbfounded look as Archos strode on, undeterred by marred bodies strewn around him, the lakes of blood under his feet hardly stirring as he moved. Gulping, and trying his best to ignore the wafting stench of blood and gore, he broke into a sprint. "Oi, oi! Archos-san! Wait up!" He called, causing the robed mage to stop again. Panting, he rested his hands on his knees before him, bent forwards as he tried to catch his second wind. "I… I didn't understand anything you said back there…" He huffed with an embarrassed expression. "But it sounded so cool!" Archos sighed at hearing this.

"_Why I be communing with a mere boy of six is beyond me…_" He muttered, making Naruto frown at hearing his words. "_I have neither the time nor the patience to endure the multitude of questions you wish to ask. Tell me, boy, have you a name?_"

"Huh?" Naruto stopped, a dumbfounded expression on his face all of a sudden. "Wha?"

"_Your name, boy._" Archos sighed. "_I expressed my own, and I know of your dreams to become Hokage someday, yet I know not your name._"

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed, a wide grin plastered on his face. "I'm Naruto! Naruto Uzumaki, and soon I'll surpass every Hokage there ever was! Believe it!"

"_You already told me of your dream, young fool…_" Archos said with a bored tone, killing Naruto's enthusiasm almost immediately. "_Have you a home, Naruto? Someplace where you can shelter?_"

"You bet!" Naruto grinned again, flashing Archos a thumbs-up. "It's right this way! Follow me!" He cried, eagerly gripping Archos by one of the talons of his hood.

* * *

"This _is it?_" Archos asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief at the state of the small apartment before him. To his opinion, it was the same as any normal apartment, almost identical to the interiors of the rest in the building. The interior, however, was in a state enough to make even as seasoned a mage as himself shiver in disgust. Loose items of clothing, discarded candy wrappers, wooden shuriken and kunai and empty ramen cups littered every possible nook and cranny of the small abode. To the mage's sight, the odious wafts emanating from the old clothes and the mildewed remains in the empty ramen cups obscured the ceiling in clouds of sickly green mist. "_This be your abode, little one?"_

"Well, it ain't much, but it's home." Naruto grinned goofily. "I don't like cleaning very much…"

"_I see…_" Archos mused, again scanning the small room and inwardly shuddering when his piqued hearing picked up the soft skittering of cockroaches under the bed. _This shall not do… "Have you considered asking your parents for a caretaker, boy?"_ He asked, eyes narrowing as he saw a slight pale shade cross the boy's features.

"I… I don't have parents…" Naruto said dejectedly, lowering his head a bit. "And I can't get a caretaker cuz everyone hates me."

"_Hate you?_" Archos asked. "_What sin can a young boy commit that would direct the malice of a whole village at his being? Surely it should be a crime beyond mortal comprehension?_"

"I dunno… Everyone just does, I guess… It's not like I care. I just wish I knew why…" Archos inwardly frowned and closed his eyes. As Naruto droned on, the waves of magical energy seeping through the mage's body drifted up to his mask as his thought formed the spell within the constricts of his mind.

_Abicio moenia quod obex quod patefacio ut mihi quis lies intus! Penitus Os(1)!_

With a movement quicker than a flash, he whipped his eyes open, exposing the dense black orbs filled with moving shadows, casting a rippling effect over the white, slitted pupils as they bore into Naruto's very soul. There, within the deepest depths of the young boy's body, Archos' interest reached its peak when the almighty waves of power collided with his own, resulting in a deadlock of black and red, seen only by his eye. As the red energy filled the room, a loud growl reached his ears as the red energy split into a body; strong, limber hind legs of a wolf or a fox flowed into a human torso, complete with the opposable thumbs. Two sharp ears folded backward as the eyes fell upon the black-clad mage, and the lips of its snout pulled back in a feral grin as nine tails of red swerved and floated around the beast_. I see…_ Archos thought bemusedly. _So the Fourth sealed this beast within this boy… What a fool your student was, Jiraya… Sacrificing the innocence of youth for a matter as trivial as one of the tailed beasts…_ He slowly glanced back at Naruto, and with a final narrowing of his eyes, a formless, unheard, unfelt bolt of magic struck the boys chest. The astral form of the beast yelped in pain, and quickly dissipated. _I shall have to take this matter into my own hands. Exposing a minor to the torment of a village like this… It be a sin I am not eager to commit…_

"_I will be leaving you now, young one."_ The mage said suddenly, jerking Naruto from his daydream. _"I must go speak with your Hokage now, but I shall be in the village for a day or two. Still, you best be aware of your surroundings when you travel again._" He said.

"I will!" Naruto grinned again. "They won't catch me this time! Believe it!"

_Be it by some macabre doubt within or by the overconfidence etched into his face, I be unable to wholly believe that, young one…_ The mage thought gravely as wafts and ropes of black shadow erected from his robes and drifted around him, quickly dispelling the shadows his body consisted of. When nothing but a section of his mask remained, a stern golden iris met with an amazed pool of blue. "_Be wary of your path, little one…_" Archos warned. "_It would seem you bring out the worst in humanity, regardless of your intentions…_" With a final haze of black mist, Archos disappeared completely, leaving a dazed Naruto gazing at the spot where the mage had stood only a second earlier. With a breathless voice, one word escaped his lips:

"Cool…"

* * *

A loud clatter filled the room as Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, shot from his seat, sending his chair flying out from under him as he quickly backed up against the wall, eyes wide with fear and shock; a cold sweat suddenly covering his brow. With a collective gasp and some cries of fear and rage, the six jonins leapt from their seats, drawing kunai from their holsters as they laid eyes upon the shadowy entity that had just materialised in the room. Cold, red eyes locked with each of theirs, and in a flash, a jet-black circle filled with arcane symbols and runic patterns appeared around each one's throat, constricting and making the ninja drop their kunai as they fell to their knees, sputtering in a desperate attempt to breathe through the arcane circles choking the life out of them.

"_It would seem my infamy has spread to even a most docile place as this…_" Archos mused as he gazed at the six jonin. "_Be you not aware that you do not draw a weapon on a visitor? Such manners your subordinates display, Hokage…_" He taunted as he gazed at the old, greying man. "_You seem exceptionally scared, aged one. Be it that my very presence instils fear in even you, the mightiest ninja in Konoha?_"

"What do you want here?" The old man suddenly spat in a burst of confidence, his eyes flashing with recognition and fear. "This village has done n-nothing to earn your wrath, Undying Warlock…" Archos raised a brow at the Hokage's use of one of his monickers. "I know what you are… You are an omen, a symbol of death to come. So what is your business here! We have nothing of interest for you, demon. Now leave or-" His eyes widened when four short swords of black appeared around his throat, circling menacingly as the intruder's eyes glowed a solid shade of red.

"_You best remember who you speak to, aged fool._" Archos threatened, making the swords inch ever so close to his throat. "_Even as Hokage, you are in no position to speak to me in such a boorish manner._" As if to emphasize his point, dozens more swords appeared behind him, all aimed at the Third. "_I be here to clear up two matters with you, aged one._" He said, letting go of his staff and allowing it to dissipate into a black haze. "_The first be your precious monument. A student of mine partially destroyed the Fourth's face._" The Hokage's eyes widened at how casually the words left the mage's mouth, almost as if it were of no importance to him.

"And… And what do you intend to do about it?" The Third panted as the swords dissipated. "Are you going to use that 'almighty black magic' of yours and repair it?"

"_I will do nothing about it._" Archos said plainly. "_I wished to inform you of it before you can stand shocked before your people tomorrow morning._" His eyes narrowed. "_I do believe your villagers are more than capable of such a trivial matter, no?_"

"H-how dare you?" The Third exclaimed, anger lacing his voice at the mage's nonchalant attitude towards the village's monument. "Your students destroy one of our most revered monuments and now _you_ of all people insult me in my own office? How-" Scarcely a breath escaped the abrupt end of his sentence as another arcane circle wrapped around his throat, cutting off air and sounds alike.

"_Remember who you speak to, imbecile._" Archos warned again. "_Do not think a simple title and an iconic hat put you on the level worthy to speak to me in such a way. You will stay your mouth until my business with you is finished, or you will suffer for your incompetence._" He gazed at the Third's fallen form as the old man desperately clutched at his throat. With a mere thought, the mage's spell dissipated into nothingness. "_Now, on to the second matter._" He said. "_There be a citizen in your village whom I shall put through The Test._" The Third's eyes widened at this, and his breath became shaky.

"T-The… The T-test?" He gaped at the mage, worry and fear evident on his face. "Against S-Safaia? Are you insane?" He cried. "There isn't a person in this village that can stand against a Gradior (2)! Do you honestly think-"

"_It be a boy._" Archos continued, undeterred of the Third's outburst. "_When I cast my eye at this boy I see something each of my students has, Hiruzen._" He turned around and started towards the door. "_He has drive, a will harder than the coldest steel, and a desire strong enough to shake the very foundations of his soul._" He looked over his shoulders. "_When a mere boy of six dreams of everyone to acknowledge him, does it not mean that said boy has undergone insurmountable suffering?_" The Third's aged eyes widened as far as they could, a sign that drew a grunt from the mage. "_His name be Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki._" He turned and started towards the door, until a loud thump behind him caused him to stop.

"I… I will not allow it…" Hiruzen said as he steadied himself on his desk, kunai in hand. "That test… it is inhumane… How can one strike something that is not there? I do not care what the people see you as, be it a hero, a messiah or otherwise. I know better than to hail you for your fame. I know how dark and dangerous you truly are, Death Angel." He said angrily, glaring daggers at the mage. "I will not stand for you putting a child through that. I-"

"_Even death by the hands of a Gradior is better than the fate he suffers now, aged one._" Archos said without even looking back. "_I shall not discuss this matter with you further. Whether he partakes in my test or not is his will - no one else's. If you stand in my way, aged one…_" He looked around, a solid crimson eye filled with wrath boring right into the Third's skull.

"_I shall personally see to it that everyone residing in Konoha dies._"

* * *

_I wonder what the strong old guy could want…_ Naruto thought as he gleefully ran down the streets, blissfully ignorant of the hating stares shot his way. In his ecstacy he thought back to that morning, when his heart shot to his throat when he found the letter on his bedside table, elaborate gold paper finely rimmed by a black outline, with the words 'Young One' etched into the seal. His smile split even wider when he remembered the words etched into the gold in a shockingly neat cursive style:

_When we met before, I stated that no ninja technique could cast unto you the power I hold. Now I offer you the chance to show your mettle and prove to me you are worthy of the might I can grant. However, you must consider this carefully, young one, as I shall not tolerate you turning back once you arrive. This test could cost you your life, and in so doing, your ambition to reign as Hokage. Consider my offer wisely, and come to the area you call the training grounds, where the three stumps protrude in front of the memorial stone. Moreover, come prepared, young one, for you are in for the biggest fight of your life - much more than a simple band of villagers…_

_A._

With unbridled laughter, the young boy shot out of another alley. _The strong old guy is gonna make me strong too! Yes! Then I can finally become strong enough to earn respect!_ He thought as he stormed through the gates. _This is going to be so cool!_

* * *

"This is going to be dreadful…" Safaia sighed as her pale blue locks danced in the wind, slightly lifting the hem of the leather jacket she wore over her sweater. "I hate it when Master makes me do these tests… They normally end up in death…" She sighed as she turned to Borgia, who was standing beside her, arms folded across the chest of his combat uniform. His long, black hair remained oddly still in the wind, and his eyes were focused on the path leading to the clearing.

"I heard that it's a boy this time…" He said, causing his companion's eyes to widen slightly. "No more than six years old, from what Master told me… He must really be something else to pique his interest so much…" He looked to Victor, who was feeding small scraps of meat to a falcon, consisting of pure water, resting in the steel guard on his arm, and to Kahn, who was eagerly punching at one of the logs, knocking a multitude of splinters and chunks of wood from is with each blow.

"That just makes it so much harder…" Safaia sighed as she looked over to Archos, her dear Master. The mage stood in the shadows, observing Victor and Kahn's activities. "I know he only has our best interests as his students at heart, but sometimes he's so brutal…"

"I know." Borgia mused, glancing at his Master as well. "But it paid off. Just look at us now; the four of us could rival a Sannin if we stood together. That skill would've taken ages longer to learn if he was soft on us."

"Oi, oi! Archos-san!" A child's voice came from the small path, and Borgia cringed when he heard the excited, confident tone it had - never a good sign for the coming test. He slowly looked to the path, and saw a small kid in an orange jumpsuit running at their Master. _That colour is ridiculous…_He thought.

Kahn grinned from under his skeletal helm, and cracked his neck as he swung his hammer onto his shoulder. _Wonder how long Wonderboy's gonna last against sis…_

In the blink of an eye, Archos dispersed and reappeared before Naruto, shocking the boy so much that he actually fell over. _So fast…_ Naruto thought as he stood back up again, eagerly looking Archos in the eye. "You said you had a test for me, Archos-san?" He said eagerly.

"_That I do._" He said as he beckoned to his four students to come closer. Naruto studied each carefully; one was a young girl, seemingly dressed in casual wear consisting of a red shirt, sleeveless leather jacket and black jeans with high-heeled boots. Her crystal blue eyes and pale blue hair shocked Naruto slightly, and he quickly averted his gaze to fight the blush threatening to cover his cheeks had he stared on.

The next was an odd person. His chest and shoulders were covered by what seemed like a combination of leather and steel armour. A half-face mask covered his mouth and nose, and thick bandages covered his eyes and forehead, the rest obscured by a black hood. More steel armour covered his arms and shins, complemented by a dark brown cargo pants and black flat-topped shoes, with very loose sleeves covering his upper arms and fingerless gloves adorning his hands.

Quickly, Naruto turned to the next one for fear that a gaze would meet with him from under the bandages. The boy quaked when he actually had to lean back and look up to face the next person. _This guy's fist is bigger than my head!_ He thought as he gazed at the giant, going pale at the sight of the macabre spikes covering his body, the belts of shard crossing over the chest of his sleeveless shirt and the thorny, skeletal helm the man wore. Naruto saw bolts, nails and other sharp implements literally sewn into the tops of the man's fingers, as well as the back of his hands, and the chains draped over his black jean caused Naruto to shiver slightly. Then Naruto saw the hammer resting on his shoulder, and promptly backed away slightly gulping as he paled. _And that hammer's almost as big as I am!_

He instantly whipped his head away from the titan before him, hearing the man chuckle at his fear as he gazed to the last person. His messy black hair obscured most of his face as it started to dance in the wind, but not enough to hide the two solid gold eyes that seemed to bore right into Naruto's hear. He wore a black jacket with many outer pockets over a black muscle shirt, a single red X covering the chest area. A belt with more compartments and containers rested on his hips, and he wore a very tight-fitting cargo pants, adorned with even more pockets. He had a slightly stern look to his face, and the two katanas resting on his back seemed to amplify that look slightly.

"_Your test…_" Archos continued, motion to the three men to stand aside. "_Is to land one hit on her._" He pointed to the blue haired girl. "_If you do that, I shall accept you as my student and teach you magic. However, there is a cost._" Naruto's look turned to one of seriousness when he heard that. "_If you succeed and I accept you as a student, you must learn a strict sense of discipline. I will not tolerate any foolishness during training, or if we have a priority to take care of. Our world is an extremely dangerous one, Naruto. Every fight we partake in, every conflict we resolve shall have the possibility of your death._" Naruto nodded avidly at this. "_Secondly…_" The mage said. "_You will have to leave Konoha for the time being._"

"W-what?" Naruto gasped. "Leave here? I thought I was training to be stronger so I can be Hokage here!"

"_You will._" Archos said. "_But this land cannot accommodate your training. You will learn nothing by firing spells at tree stumps and practice marionettes. If you do not practice that which you learn in the correct surroundings, you shall never master it._" He said, eyes narrowing.

Naruto glanced back at Konoha. He desperately wanted to stay there, and show the people that such random attacks would not get him down. He wanted to show them how strong he was, but what Archos said was true. Magic seemed much stronger than simple ninjutsu and genjutsu now. Drawing in a breath, he turned to face the mage. "Okay." He said confidently. "I'll do it."

"_Good._" Archos said softly, before dissipating again, reappearing under the trees. With an unreadable expression, he looked at Naruto, then at the blue haired girl, and back at the boy. "_You must attack her with killing intent, Naruto; otherwise you shall not land a blow. In the worst case… you might die._" He said sternly. "_Begin._"

Without hesitation, Naruto charged at the girl, fist at the ready. He saw the sad look on her face, and reminded himself to inquire about it later, but now, he had to attack. When he saw she did nothing, not even taking up a fighting stance, he smiled broadly. _Oh, this is gonna be easy!_ Bursting with confidence, he swung his fist at her.

… And struck nothing.

"Huh?" Naruto asked. One moment, the girl was there, and the next, she disappeared in a flash of blue light. "Where'd she go?" A sudden bright flash resonated before him, and a sharp, twisting pain filled his chest as a blast of energy accompanied by a blinding flash of blue light sent him reeling. With a loud grunt, he hit the ground, sliding onwards until coming to a stop against the Memorial Stone.

"Think he stands a chance?" He heard the man in the skull mask ask someone. Another voice, undoubtedly the man carrying that katanas, answered in a concerned voice.

"He underestimated her. He's as good as dead now…"

* * *

"He's _what_?!" The leader of the ANBU team asked, eyes wide under his mask. "A mage? A wizard, Hokage-sama?"

"…Is that even possible?" Another ANBU member asked in disbelief. "If what you say is true, Hokage-sama… If that _thing_ is as powerful as you say he is…"

"With all those titles to boot… The Harbinger of Shadow… The Undying Warlock… The Unmaker…" One of them said in a distressed tone.

"Calm down now, please!" The Third raised his hands, prompting silence in the room. "I know of the Harbinger of Shadow's immense power, and I know ordering you all to attack him would be suicide. But that's not the mission I'm giving you." He said, gazing at the team leaders. "Your job is to retrieve Naruto Uzumaki. Do not fight the Warlock if it can be avoided."

"If I may ask, Hokage-sama," One of the ANBU leaders raised a hand, receiving a nod from the Third as a sign to continue, "Why are you so worried about this Naruto boy? If the Undying Warlock takes him under his wing and trains him, wouldn't that actually make things better for him?"

"I know it sounds like a good option to let him train Naruto in the arcane arts." The Third said softly. "However, their missions are a lot different from ours. The conflicts they try to resolve almost always result in mass death, sometimes even the destruction of entire clans and villages. I've never seen him fight – I've only read about him in one of my books… But last time he was involved in a war he stopped it through his presence alone. His is an existence of nothing but bloodshed and unrewarded trials…" He said as he sternly gazed up at them.

"Exposing a child of six to all that… That is a fate far worse than what he's suffering now. That is a fate even worse than death."

* * *

"He's not going to last much longer."

"I bet sis' attacks are eating him from the inside out."

"He shouldn't have accepted this test to begin with…"

With a grunt, Naruto cut the voices from his ears and turned his attention back to the blue-haired girl in front of him. _How the hell is she doing that? It's like she disappears and reappears whenever she wants… And she attacks me before she even reappears! What the hell?_

"Please, kid, stop this." The girl begged. "If you carry on like this, you'll die."

"Archos-san said so too…" He huffed, feeling the wrenching pain in his chest and back. His left eye was swollen shut, and a trickle of blood crept down the corner of his mouth. His jumpsuit sported a multitude of rips and tears from the girl's attacks, and his head pulsed excruciatingly. "But I won't give up!" He said confidently, despite his injuries. "Believe it!"

"Then I have no choice." She said with a sad expression as she flexed her fingers, and a vortex of pulsating white energy appeared in her hand. Slowly, she placed her hand over the globe of energy and began chanting in a tongue Naruto could not understand. The energy seemed to grow violent as she chanted, arcs of twisting white lashing out in random directions. When she completed her chanted, she gazed at him, meeting his eyes. "This is the final blow."

Naruto had no chance to react. A tremendous blast of unseen energy burst from where the girl once stood as she disappeared again, knocking Naruto clean off his feet, sending him flying. There, while his eyes flitted across the clear sky, the bright white globe energy appeared seconds after it collided with his chest. The impact blasting him straight into the ground, and with his swimming vision he saw chunks of earth fly into the sky as droplets of blood flew from his mouth.

Within seconds, it was over. In the aftermath of the blinding white light, the girl stood with her hand on the boy's chest, surrounded by a crater almost as large as the clearing itself. She gazed at Naruto's closed eyes with a look of sorrow on her face. "Sorry, kiddo…" She said softly as she stood up. "Maybe in a few years you might-"

"I… I'm n-not done… y-yet…"

Her eyes widened as she whipped her head around, jaw dropping at the sight of Naruto rolling onto his side. _Impossible!_ She thought hysterically. _He shouldn't even be conscious after that… How…_ "This can't be right…" She said, readying herself again as Naruto stood up, knees bent, arms hanging limply by his side. "You… You shouldn't even be able to move your legs, let alone stand up!"

"D-Don't…" Naruto gasped. "Don't underest-timate m-me…" He growled. Archos raised a brow at the display of stamina. _How curious…_ The mage thought. _It seems I was right to choose him for this…_

"Ha ha, looks like the boy has some balls in him!" Naruto heard the man with the obscenely large hammer say triumphantly. He slowly gazed up at the blue haired girl, seeing the look of utter shock on her face, and balled his fists again.

"Oi, kid!" He heard someone call his name, and craned his head around to see the golden-eyed man carrying the katanas looking right at him. "You want to be Hokage, right?" He asked sternly. Naruto nodded, struggling to speak further. "And being a ruler is a man's job. Are you a man, boyo?" He called. Naruto nodded again. "What's that? I can't hear you…"

"Yes…" Naruto said, wincing at the pain in his chest.

"Still can't hear anything…" The man said, shrugging his shoulders. "Ah well, wimps will be wimps…"

"I said YES!" Naruto cried out in anger, making the man grin. "I _am_ a man!"

"Then be a _real_ man, boyo." The man said, pointing at him. "Real men don't lose without giving it their all. All you need is one more burst of energy. Think you got that left, kiddo?" Naruto nodded. "Good." The man grinned. "Then you_ must_ _not_ lose… Especially not to that wimp!"

The blue-haired girl's eyes flared as she whipped her head around. "What the hell did you-" She immediately fell silent; the grin plastered on the man's face spoke volumes, and when turned back to face the boy -

_**POW!**_

She felt the small fist hit her stomach, and with a shocked expression on her face, she saw Naruto in front of her stretched out as far as he could stretch his small body. He was panting heavily, but the look on his face was one of victory. With a grin, he turned his battered face to meet hers. "Y-you… let y-your guard… d-down…" He panted. For a moment, the girl still wore her shocked expression, but a warm smile soon bloomed on her face as she turned to her Master. The mage nodded, and she looked back at the little boy.

"Congratulations." She said, as her smile grew wider. "You passed…" Naruto nodded contentedly, meeting her eyes briefly before they rolled backwards, his small body falling to the ground. With one smooth movement, the girl caught him and laid him down on the grass, where his eyes briefly opened.

Naruto saw the other three men stride over to him as the girl helped him into a sitting position. "You got some fight in ya there, Naruto." The giant man said as he planted his hammer on the ground, resting his hands on the pommel. He lacked the skeletal mask this time, and Naruto could make out the short, brown hair, the gray eyes and the multitude of scars on his face. "I'm Kahn." He said with a grin. "And as of now, I'm your fellow student."

"Same here." Naruto heard the man carrying the katanas say as he gazed down at the boy with a grin. "Name's Borgia. That really was a nice move you pulled there." He glanced over to the hooded man with the bandages over his eyes, Naruto weakly following his gaze. "This here's Victor, the resident assassin. He never speaks, but you'll learn to understand him soon enough."

"And I'm Safaia." The blue-haired girl said with a smile. "But now that the introductions are over, it's best you sleep now, she said, running her fingers over his eyelids, forcing them shut. Naruto felt his energy leave him, and before he knew it, his world turned black.

"Nice choice this time, Master." Borgia said as he turned to Archos. "He's the only person I've seen who can take one of Safaia's trump card (3) to the chest and stand afterwards."

"_Do not underestimate him because of his age._" Archos mused as he looked at Naruto's sleeping form, which, surprisingly, was already healing slowly. "_He holds potential unmatched by anyone Konoha can put forth. With us, he shall become even more than a Hokage._" Archos said, before looking around at the pathway with narrowed eyes. Victor and Borgia did the same, and gazed at their Master.

"Seems ANBU has caught up to us." Borgia grinned. "What now, Master?" He asked. Wordlessly, Archos pulled his hand from his sleeve and held it so the palm faced upwards. A spinning orb of shadow suddenly materialized, before starting to hover in mid-air.

"_You and Victor will follow that sphere to Naruto's house, and collect his belongings._" Archos said as he started to dissipate. "_Safaia and Kahn will take the boy to camp and heal him. I shall stay here and deal with our new friends._" With that, the mage completely dissipated.

"Well, you heard him." Borgia smirked. "Let's go."

* * *

"Whoa…" Each of the fifty-five ANBU members stopped and stared in awe at the state of the training ground. The large crater had neatly smoothed the ground within, and the three stumps that stuck out of the ground lay in splinters near the tree line. "Looks like a damn war went on here…" The leader said. "Looks like we were a bit too late… Move out. We need to - huh?" He glanced down when his legs refused to respond. "Oh no…"

Arcane circles of black and silver had appeared around each member's ankles, runes glowing brightly in the afternoon sun, freezing each person in his tracks. "_I warned your Hokage not to interfere…_" The deep, hollow voice caused each ninja's blood to freeze in their very veins in fear; cold sweat dripping from under their masks, as their hands shook in terror. Slowly, they craned their necks around, stifling cries of horror at seeing the cloaked being, the Death Angel, _the_ Undying Warlock standing there in all his shadowy splendour, staff floating behind him as his hands were tucked into the sleeves of the opposite arm. Solid crimson eyes stared right through their masks, and he let out a dark chuckle when he saw the pillars of fear rising from each ninja's soul. "_It seems you truly are incapable of heeding a warning when you be a senile old human like him…_" He said as two enormous magical circles appeared behind him, consisting of more runes, forms tribal in design, more circles, and finally, a cyclone of purple flame at each one's centre. "_Now, for his incompetence, _you_ shall pay the price._"

The ninjas' cries of pain and anguish died out soon after they left their throats, masked by roaring flame as the lakes of flare poured from the circle, consuming everything in its path as the smell of burning flesh and scorched earth filled the air.

* * *

With a groan, Naruto awoke to the heavenly smell of roast meat filling his nostrils. Placing a hand on his forehead, he slowly sat up. He was in a tent, dark blue in colour, with a small lamp hanging from where the frame crossed. His sleeping bag was nice and warm, a sharp contrast to the cold that mercilessly assaulted his chest, face and lower arms, and he was shocked to find a backpack with all his belongings in the corner of the tent. With another groan, he stood up, hastily pulling on his jumpsuit before stepping outside.

"Hey! You're awake!" Naruto looked up at hearing the feminine voice, and saw Safaia sitting in front of the fire, slowly turning the spit as she cooked the meat above the campfire. "It's been almost a day since we brought you here. You had us really worried."

"Wha? That long?" Naruto asked in disbelief. "What happened after I fell asleep back there?" He tensed as he saw Safaia turn back to the fire, a sad expression on her face.

"Fifty-five ANBU ninjas came after us. They did not care whether you agreed to come with us or not, they simply wished to take you back, so Master dealt with them accordingly after they ignored his warning."

"Warning?" Naruto asked with a confused look. "What did he warn them about? What did he even do to them?"

"_I ended their miserable lives._" Naruto jumped as he heard Archos' voice behind him, and he whipped around to face his new teacher. "_I warned your Hokage that anyone who interfered with the test would be rewarded with death. That is what I gave the fools who followed his order to take you back._" He raised a brow at seeing the neutral look on Naruto's face.

"ANBU… They…" He gulped. "They were supposed to be the ones who helped people in trouble… But… They just stood by and watched while people pushed me around… They…"

"_Hush now, young one._" Archos spoke as he looked at Naruto. "_You can live without that while you're with us. You are one of us now, Naruto. Kahn, Borgia, Victor, Safaia… They are your siblings from here on out as much as they are each other's siblings. Rest assured, they shall not let you come to harm._" Naruto turned back to face Safaia, who responded with a warm smile. "_Tonight,_" Archos carried on, "_you rest, Naruto. Tomorrow, I shall begin to teach you how to convert your chakra into magical energy, as well as a few basic spells._" He raised a brow when he saw a wide smile appear on Naruto's face.

"I…" He said with a shaky voice. "I have friends… siblings, as you called them… I have a family now… A willing teacher and a place where I can fit in now…" Naruto gazed up at Archos, smile splitting even wider. "I think I'm gonna like it here!" Archos uttered a short laugh.

"_I know you will, Naruto._" He said warmly. "_You best prepare yourself._" He said, confusing the young boy. "What do you mean, Archos-san?" The boy asked. "Why do I need to 'prepare myself'?" His face changed into a mask of shock and happiness at hearing the mage answer:

"_Because here, at this camp, is where your new life will begin."_

* * *

**THE BOOK OF SORCERY  
Here lays an archive of spells used the world around…**

- (1) _Abicio moenia quod obex quod patefacio ut mihi quis lies intus! Penitus Os: _Latin, lit. 'Inner Sight'. Allows the user to look at the souls of those around him in order to see how they feel, and to determine whether there is a disturbance within them, i.e. possession or mind control.

- (2) _Gradior_: Latin, lit. 'Plane Walk'. Gradior is a spell that allows the user to transport an object or person to another plane of reality for an unfixed period of time. In Safaia's case, she is one of an old order of mages who has the Gradior spell merged with her body at birth.

- (3) Compressed Hundred Bolts of Wind: A very advanced wind spell. It is one of the four spells that make use of bolts of wind to damage and bind an opponent. This compressed version, a spell developed by Safaia, forces all 100 bolts into a small form of varying shapes. It is designed to bypass skin and flesh, and burst within the targets body, thus causing massive internal damage.

* * *

A/N: Whew! That gets the prologue chapters over and done with… Damn, this one was long… Anyhow, people, as you guys will later find out, every one of Archos' students use a personalised weapon. Kahn has his trillion-ton war hammer, Borgia has his mystery katanas, Victor has his magic hawks and his arm blades, and Safaia has her destructive magic attacks. So, now I leave it up to you guys: What magical weapon should Naruto wield in this story? Any ideas? Let me know and I'll give you due credit if I decide to use it.

Anyhow, thanks for taking the time to read this. Please leave me a review to let me know what you think - this is my first Naruto fic and I'm planning a few more… But I must get better first! Back to the point, hope you guys enjoyed this one. Take care, all!

**See ya,  
CP**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Chapter 3 arrives! Finally, we go from the prologue to our first story segment. I must warn you guys, though: This Chapter starts out 6 years after Naruto left with Archos, but will soon descend into a series of flashbacks, after some great help with the planning from my pal, FictionPress author -Disdainful*Distaste-. Thanks for the assistance, bro!**

**Just one matter before we get to the story: Naruto's weapon. So I've got (Wait for it… Cue drum roll…) TWO. Two small ideas. Bah, I think things will get better from here on out. So far the ideas stand as:**

**- A Magically charged shield and sword  
- A pair of close range weapons like Claws.**

**Special thanks to Wulf 4 Life and Phibriglex, respectively, for those two ideas. You guys are Awesome!**

**Now, onwards!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 1:  
The Master's Strength is the Student's Legacy**

_**Six years after Naruto's departure…**_

"This is a very boring day…"

"Agreed…"

The two monotonous voices hovered in front of the gates of Konoha, filling the air with bored observations and nonchalant banter as the guards rested lazily against the two supports, slouched and half-asleep as the oddly warm morning breeze seeped into their skin. "Seriously… Ever since that 'Undying Warlock' guy slaughtered over fifty of our best ANBU troops, the village has been so scared of him coming back, it's just not funny…" One of the guards said.

"Hey, I'm lower rank, man." The other groaned. "I just they died. Nothing else. What happened to those guys?"

"Sources say they got themselves burned to a damn crisp." The first guard spoke with a slightly pale face. "The wind was literally blowing chunks of ash up into the air - ash that was once their bodies." The other guard paled at the thought. "What's more," the first guard spoke, "…I heard there's Hellfire involvement…"

"Bullshit, man." The other guard shook his head with a distasteful face. "Hellfire's not real. It's just some crap that travellers made up when -"

"Then explain the _purple_ flames, man." The first guard cut in. "And explain how _one_ man in a black cloak - a _black freakin' cloak,_ of all things - could actually cause Hokage-sama 'n damn panic attack?" He insisted. Neither of the two guards managed to notice the figure approaching the gates. _Ooh… A feisty bunch. I hope they won't let me in…_ The figure thought with an excited grin as his long, messy black hair, several strands of brilliant gold within the shadowy strands, danced in the morning breeze.

"Wait…" The second guard stopped his partner as his eyes fell upon the figure. "We have a visitor."

"More like a passerby." The figure called out in a mature, suave voice with a grin plastered on his face, causing both men to stiffen visibly. _Last time a 'passerby' came along…_ The first guard thought with a frown. _Our Hokage was hospitalised…_ "Aw, here I heard of how 'breakneck' and 'tough' the Konoha shinobi had become…" The figure taunted. "Where's all that here? Did they just appoint two recruits to guard the gate? Two genins, perhaps?" The figure smirked as he watched the guards frown under his insults.

With their hands on their kunai, the men sized their opponent up. Roughly the age of sixteen, he sported long, almost shoulder-length black hair with a few blonde highlights streaking down his parted bangs, the rest of the mop of hair running down the sides and back of his head, some tips pointing outward while others hung flat. The two tails of his long, black leather coat fluttered in the breeze, bearing a tribal insignia on each shoulder and a four-point star where it was buttoned up across his stomach, exposing his chest. The sleeves of the jacket were rolled up, exposing a part of the also rolled-up sleeves of the red button-up shirt he wore under his jacket, collar open to reveal a black sweatshirt. Black, fingerless gloves with a plate of steel sewn into the top decorated his hands, and his skull-buckled belt stuck out from under the button of his coat. Steel guards covered the shins of his black jean, as well as the top of his steel-toed boots, and the guards saw a shuriken holster on each leg, as well as the long, slender carrying case on his back.

"State your business here." The first guard said with a threatening tone. "And your affiliations."

"Jeez, so much for manners…" The young boy sighed. "Would it kill you to be a bit more social?" He asked with a pained expression, and grunted when he saw the steely gazes he received in response. "I'll take that as a no… Guess genins really aren't very experienced, combat or otherwise…"

"If you're simply here to insult us you might as well take your leave now!" The first guard barked, drawing a kunai. "Otherwise, you state your business and your affiliations immediately!"

"I will if you say 'Please'…" The boy taunted with a feral grin, one hand on his hip as he rested his weight on one leg. "Really, now… Even genins can't be _this_ antisocial…" He smirked, seeing the anger flash in the first guard's eyes. "Aw, what's wrong?" He asked with mock concern. "Did I piss the small genin off?" He asked as he broke into laughter.

"That's it…" The first guard growled as he drew another kunai, ignoring his partner's warnings and begging as he shot at the boy. "This punk's going down!"

"You know…" The boy pondered aloud as the guard lashed at his face with the first kunai. With a bored expression, the boy simply tilted his head to the side, allowing the kunai to pass his face completely before he closed a hand around the guard's wrist. "I'd like to see you try that." He grinned at the guard.

"You brat…" The guard cried. "I'll crush you!" He said, lashing out with the other kunai. Then the boy smirked - and in a dizzy haze of faint black and red, disappeared. "Huh?" The guard cried in surprise when the already faint haze dissipated. "Where'd he go? Where'd he -" His eyes widened in shock and fear when he felt the hand close around the back of his neck with enough force to immobilize him.

"You know…" He heard the boy's voice behind him as the power behind the hand increased, drawing a yelp from him. "I hate pushovers." He said, just as the guard felt the hand close completely with insurmountable force.

_**POP!**_

The second guard watched as his partner fell unconsciously to the ground, knocked out by the young boy who had seemingly appeared from nowhere behind him. With a grin, the teen turned to him. "Self-defence." He said nonchalantly. "Can I pass now?"

"In your dreams…" The second guard growled as he too shot at the teen, drawing an exasperated sigh from him.

"Oh well…" The teen said with a hopeless voice. "Self-defence again…"

* * *

With a satisfied grin, the teen strode through the streets of Konoha with an air of nonchalance around him, carefree aura enveloping him like a thick cloud as he held the carrying case slung over his shoulder. Of course, his attire drew quite a few looks of confusion, amusement and even distaste - he could remember one young girl, about twelve years of age with bright pink hair, who has shot him an overly curious look. _Sakura-chan looks a lot different…_ He thought as he strode towards the Hokage's home.

He quickly rounded a corner, whistling as he went when his eye suddenly fell upon something. Craning his head to the right, his eyes fell upon a brilliant vase filled with golden roses in the distance. _Well, I'll be damned…_He grinned as he walked up to the shop. _Yamanaka's Flowers, eh? Lemme go work my charm here…_ He said, plucking one of the roses from the vase before entering.

"Welcome!" A young girl clad in purple, blonde hair tied neatly into a long ponytail with her bangs covering the right half of her face, called to him with a wide smile and a friendly wave.

"Ah, finally!" The teen sighed exasperatedly. "Someone with a few manners…" He saw the girl giggle at his words. "This store has just become my favourite one." He said as he walked to the counter, golden rose upright in his hand. "Tell me, fair maiden, have you more of these in stock?" He said as he twirled the rose by its stem between his forefinger and thumb.

"We have plenty in the back." The girl smiled. "How many do you want?" She asked in a friendly tone.

"Let's say… twenty-five or so will do perfectly." He smiled. "Roses like these truly are gems to me…"

"Is there a specific reason for that?" The girl asked as she walked to the back, unlocking the door.

"Oh, there's plenty." The teen called to her in the back with a smile. "Not only are they spectacularly beautiful, but I find them invaluable in my special technique." He sighed warmly. "They add that special… _style_ to the attacks."

"So you use them in a jutsu, then?" The girl asked as she emerged from the back room, carrying twenty-five brilliant golden roses, wrapped in elaborate red cellophane. "I've never met someone who worries about style and image in their fights."

"Then I'm honoured to be the first." The teen grinned with a bow. "I find fighting with style to be a very exhilarating experience." He said. "It broadens the view when one reflects on oneself. Fighting with style, skill _and_ caution is very hard to pull off, yet still it's something that I wish to achieve someday…"

"So why this particular rose?" She asked, resting her chin on her palm as she looked at him with interest.

"See, one of the lands I was in during the past…" The teen said as he examined one of the roses with a wide smile. "That land revered this flower for its beauty and the air of magnificence it carries. However," He looked back at her, "the plains and mountains of those lands were stalked by something far worse than the wolves, bears and the like one can find in the Elemental Countries."

"You were outside the Elemental Countries?" The girl asked in shock. Travelling to the Outer Lands, as they had been dubbed, had been heard of before, but never had she met someone who actually did so.

"But of course!" The teen said with a grin. "I've been travelling the Outer Lands for the past six years." He said, inwardly chuckling at the girl's amazed at his story. "Anyhow, I fell for this flower in one of those lands." He said, twirling the flower by its stem again. "But the only one could obtain such a rarity as this in that land would be to travel to said plains and mountains. Many people die in such treks… That is why this rose was named Diabolus Corruptio."

"Diabolus Corruptio?" The girl asked with a confused expression. "What does that mean?"

"Devil's Seduction." The teen grinned, as he stood up and placed a mound of bills on the table. "Needless to say, I named my technique after it." He said as he strode to the door, just as someone carrying a small carrying bag came in. "Yamanaka-san?" He asked as he opened the bag."Your delivery." He said, holding out a small box of food to her. The teen cast a look to the package as the delivery boy left, and chuckled, seeing a slight tint of pink appear on the girl's cheek.

"Yes, I diet, so what?" She asked with an embarrassed expression as she turned her face away. The teen grunted in affirmation with a grin plastered on his face.

"Still haven't changed, I see…" He said as he turned to the door, much to the girl's confusion. "Just remember: Curves can be sexy too… _Ino-chan._" He finished, hearing the girl's shocked gasp.

"H-How… How did you…" She looked at him with wide eyes. "I… I didn't even…" The teen suddenly turned to face her, sporting the same feral grin he came in with.

"The blue eyes are your clue, Ino-chan." He said as he locked eyes with her. Ino finally noticed the deep blue eyes, and recognition flashed across her features as she paled.

"You… Y-You're…"

"Enjoy your day…" The teen grinned, and bade her farewell with a two fingered wave, before leaving the shop, leaving the girl to her own thoughts as she stared at the door in shock. _He… He's… When did he…_ She slowly glanced back at the mound of bills before her. _And he left too much! Way too much! Such stupidity… That has to be…_

"I can't believe this…" She said as she regained her composure. "He was almost sexier than Sasuke-kun!"

* * *

"Let us go find him, Hokage-sama!" One of the ANBU troops surrounding Hiruzen Sarutobi pleaded with the old man. "The last troops you sent were nothing compared to us… We can bring Uzumaki Naruto back here, and apprehend that 'Undying Warlock' at the same time." The Third only frowned at their persistence.

"You are seeking justice for a crime committed _six years ago_!" He chided. "Not only that, but you wish to pit yourself against none other than the Harbinger of Shadow himself! Don't be foolish because of something done six years ago - focus on what's happening _today_."

"Hokage-sama, that thing killed fifty-five -"

"And he shall kill a thousand more in this village if we anger him!" The Third cut him off. "I know of the Harbinger… He isn't mortal. He's been alive a _long_ time – even longer than our kind has existed. Do you really think a mage that has existed that long can be taken down by mere ninja? The thought of it-" A sudden shadow filtered through the skylight, blotting an area on the Third's desk black. "What the-"

"_Mico! (1)"_

_**CRASH!**_

In a burst of light that blinded the Third and every ANBU in the room, the skylight shattered into pieces as a black blur launched through it. The falling shards rained down on the ANBU, causing them to raise their hands to shield their eyes as they leapt back as they heard a loud _thump_ coming from the Third's desk.

"_Caligo. (2)"_

With that word, the bright light instantly vanished, reflecting off the shards of glass as it faded away, allowing the ANBU to regain their sight. What they saw, however, shocked them to their very core.

The Third sat with a mix of fear and shock on his face as his assailant held a serrated dagger to his throat. His long, messy, black hair hung across his eyes, his free hand hanging between his legs, arm rested on one knee as he sat on his haunches on the desk. His long, black coat splayed over the desk as the two coattails hung down the front of the desk, and the long, slender carrying case on his back had struck an indentation into the oak surface. Hardly daring to breathe, they slowly moved their hands to their shuriken holsters - and gasped in shock when the assailant suddenly pulled the dagger away and hopped off the desk.

With a grin, he kicked one of the overturned chairs into the air, making it spin several times as it slowly twisted upright in mid-air. As it spun, the assailant moved to it and sat down on it during its final spin, pinning it to the ground immediately before swing his legs over and crossing them in mid-air before slamming them down on the desk. With a grin, he looked at the Third, who had an expression of anger on his face. The old man reached for one of his shuriken, and the assailant's grin grew. "Heh… A close call every now and then tends to make life more interesting…" He cooed as the ANBU members crept closer. "Wouldn't you say…" He glanced at the Third. "… Old Man?"

The Third's eyes immediately widened as a hint of a smile formed on his now pale face. The shuriken fell from his limp hand as he stumbled back into his chair, a look of pure shock on his aged features. When he finally spoke, it came out as a faint, weak stutter. "N-Naruto…" He whispered. "Is that r-r-really y-you?" He asked in disbelief at the changed, now teenage boy before him, to which Naruto simply raised his arms and shrugged.

"In the flesh…" He grinned.

* * *

"Shikamaru! Choji!" Ino yelled as she stormed at her friends. "Oi! Here! Listen to this!" She cried with excitement evident in her voice.

"Here comes Ino-chan…" Choji sighed as he stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth.

"This is going to be troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed lazily as Ino finally reached them, bending forward to rest her hands on her knees as she panted. "What is it now, Ino?" He sighed at her.

"You…" She panted. "You guys won't believe this…" She said as she straightened up with a bright smile on her face. "I had the most unexpected guest in the shop this morning…" She cooed.

"Uchiha again?" Choji asked, stuffing another handful of chips into his mouth. "The only time you ever get this excited is when Sasuke is involved."

"There's a first time for everything!" She scowled, before smiling dreamily. "No… No, this wasn't Sasuke…" She sighed as she thought back. "I don't even think it's the person I think it is… Oh, how handsome he was… Tall, muscled, kind, interesting…" She muttered as she dreamed on.

"Okay…" Shikamaru said with a confused expression. "So who is this wonder boy, then?"

Ino chuckled at his question as she looked back down. "I don't know why I'm acting like this. I'm head over heels for Sasuke-kun… But the more we spoke, the more I felt I liked this guy…" She said. "Guys, I don't know if I'm right or not… But I think it's… I think it's Naruto!" She said with a bright smile, shocking both her friends. "Naruto is back!" She said happily.

Unbeknownst to her, Shikamaru quickly noticed the hateful gleam that appeared in the eyes around them. One by one, they filtered into the alleys and side streets, grumbling under their breath. _This…_He thought.

_This is not going to be good…_

* * *

"How I changed like this?" Naruto asked the Third, as the two sat in peace within his office. The Third was smiling broadly now that Naruto was back, and he found himself growing more and more excited as the boy-turned-teenager told him of his adventures with the infamous Harbinger of Shadow. "Well, that's quite a long story…" Naruto mused as he stroked his chin with one hand. "Is it okay if I narrow it down a bit?"

"Of course, Naruto-kun." The Third smiled. "You've told me so much already. Skipping a few minor details won't do too much damage. But you did say one of the Undying Warlock's mortal enemies attacked you? And something about three swords?"

"Yes, yes, I did…" Naruto smirked as he slacked back in the chair and made himself comfortable "Here goes!"

-_**FOUR YEARS EARLIER-**_

"Gragh! I can't get this right!" Naruto raged as his wind spell dissipated again before his eyes, blowing his blonde locks backwards as he strode through the streets of the large city that Archos had sent him to.

"You can't get everything right on the first try, boyo." Borgia spoke next to him as the two of them strode to the palace district. "What, you think I could whip up firestorms with these two," he tapped the hilts of his two shape shifting swords, "on day one? That's just absurd, Kiddo. Perfection takes practice."

"Perfection…" Naruto mused. "Like what that old fart called his steel guys back when we had to rescue that chick from the… the… uh… High Angel's Keep?"

"Altus Angelus?" Borgia asked. "Yeah. That old geriatric fool is known as Roderick Agnes. He's a wayward old moron who wants to do that whole 'watch the world burn' business." He sighed. "And he needs Deus to do so. Pity it won't accept him."

"What's Deus, brother?" Naruto asked, suddenly abandoning his training in order to listen to his 'brother's tales. Borgia chuckled at his question as he glanced down at his younger 'sibling', as they had come to know each other.

"Legends say that long ago, during the time of 'Gods and Demigods', Master wielded a mighty blade that could level cities and sink entire islands into the oceans, provided he let loose enough of his power with it." Naruto's jaw dropped after hearing that. Here he had heard of a blade that could destroy whole _islands_ - and then he learned that was only a _small part_ of his Master's power. The mere thought of it amazed him to no end.

"Anyhow," Borgia continued, "As you know, the world's turned into quite the fucked-up place since then. Lots of idiots like Agnes who want to 'introduce darkness to the masses' and all that fire-and-brimstone bullshit. But there are certain things in existence that can stop them from doing so… Divine weapons are among them"

"And Master's sword was a divine weapon?" Naruto asked.

"Yes." Borgia nodded slowly. "The people who adored Master named his blade _Vox Opprimo_, or 'Power Overwhelming'. People the world over sought the might of this blade, some even dedicated their life _and_ undeath training to be strong enough to face him. It was then that Master decided that the madness could not continue. He took the Vox Opprimo and split it into three blades of lesser power, namely Deus, Diabolus and Spiritus, God, Devil and Spirit, respectively. Each blade took a different form. Of all of 'em, Spiritus was the most difficult weapon to wield. It _never_ took the form of a weapon with an edge – always something used for piercing, rather than slashing. At first it was a spear, then a jousting lance, and its latest incarnation resembles a rapier. It was named 'Spiritus' because its attacks are non-physical – they don't damage the body – they damage the soul… and likewise, the blade can only be wielded by a person with a pure soul. Someone like, say, Roderick Agnes would be fried to ashes in two seconds flat if he ever touches Spiritus."

He turned back to Naruto, who had an amazed expression on his face as he urged him to keep talking. "Then we have Deus, the mid-blade, as people called it. It stood as a mix between Spiritus and Diabolus, and it always took on the form of a single-bladed weapon. It's only had two incarnations so far – a scimitar, and – more recently – a katana. Sadly, mortals can't use Deus. Pity, really – that sword can not only _channel_ magical energy and spells, but enhance their power and project them at enemies as well." He looked at Naruto again.

"Lastly we have Diabolus – the 'Hell Blade'. It's the easiest weapon to use because it takes the form of the most conventional arms you can find. It started as a double-edged axe, then went on to become a warhammer, a glaive, and most recently, a massive fucking claymore." He paused for a while. "The thing about these blades is that – apart from Master Archos, of course – _they_ choose who wields them. Spiritus burns and rends the soul if someone who doesn't wield it manages to touch it, Deus pushes so much raw magical power into an impostor's body that there's no option for the poor sod other than spontaneous incineration, and Diabolus… Well, Diabolus is a stubborn blade. It alters its weight – if it does not want to be wielded by someone, that someone _will not_ wield it. Period."

"Bro…?" Naruto asked in a daze. "Why can't mortals use Deus?"

"Didn't you pay any attention when Master was teaching you?" The older man frowned and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Magical energy and that stuff you ninjas use are both vastly different and quite the same. Unlike… uh… What was it called again? Chakra? Yeah, chakra – now, unlike chakra, your magical energy doesn't _deplete_. However, every person still has a solid amount. As long as you don't exert more magical energy into a spell than you currently have, you're safe. If not, the spell will start drawing the energy it lacks from elsewhere. I'm sure you felt it a few days ago with that wind blade. Blurry eyes, foggy mind, weak muscles? Yeah, that was the spell using some of your life force to substitute for the lacking energy."

"But what does that have to do with Deus?" Naruto asked with a frown.

"Like I just said, mortals have a specific amount of magical energy. Other beings like angels, demons and people like, say, Kahn, can use different placebos to 'over-cast' a spell. Angels can channel more magic than they have into a spell and, instead of said spell drinking their life away, they can substitute that life force with the holy energy they can create. Demons are similar, but they use dark energy, and people like Kahn use their rage. Venefici – beings composed _entirely_ out of magic – and hybrid-Venefici quite literally have an endless supply of magical energy. Face it, kiddo – they _are_ magic. A body of your size made completely out of magic has more energy than the five of us _combined_, and that's _including_ your chakra _and_ that idiot fox's."

"I still don't see how this all ties to Deus." Naruto asked, frowning even more. Borgia chuckled at his brother's confusion.

"Think about it, lad," Borgia grinned. "Spiritus does massive damage to an opponent's soul, but the wielder needs a pure soul to use it. Diabolus has some _massive _weight behind its attacks, but it feels as light as a feather to its wielder, but – being named after the ancient word for 'demon' – you _cannot_ wield it if your soul is pure. Now, Deus ain't that picky – it doesn't look at your soul. But, because Deus amplifies and enhances _magic_…"

"It can only be used _by _someone with a lot of magic." Borgia smirked at the almost hopeless expression on Naruto's face as the young boy answered. "So how much magic does it need?"

"Too much, lad. _Way_ too much. Deus amplifies any spell it channels by at _least_ ten times its standard potency. I can guarantee you, that wind-blade spell you tried the other day? If you tried channeling that through Deus you'd have died before you even finished the incantation."

Naruto visibly deflated at that. "So what are the chances of one of us becoming a Ve…Ven… Magic Person?" Naruto asked carefully, already dreading the answer.

"Less than zero." Borgia said with a bored tone, ignoring Naruto's startled cry of disbelief. "Venefici aren't _born_ any more – they're created; and their creation has two prerequisites. One, there needs to be a Veneficus present who can rewrite your physical body into a magical one… and two – you need to die." Borgia's face remained impassive as Naruto gasped softly. "Rewriting a body while the soul is still present is sacrilege of the highest order – that, and it can pretty much rip the soul to bits. Because of that, in order for a Veneficus to 'turn' you, it needs to kill you first, bind your soul to something – usually their staff or weapon – and rewrite your body. After that, they merge a small part of their soul with yours, and place it back inside your body." He sighed. "We have little chance because, for one, I doubt Master would be kind-hearted enough to actually turn us if we die, and two, the creation of Venefici has been outlawed in most of the countries of the worldbecause they have it in 'em to become so damn dangerous in the first place."

"That bites…" Naruto mumbled. The boy felt his confidence sink to the very bottom of his being, and a frown formed on his face."

"Life bites, Kiddo." Borgia smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look at me. I, being the swordsman of the group, desperately wanted to wield Deus in the past… Unfortunately, I can't. We'll just have to… Wait." He said, suddenly holding an arm out in front of Naruto. The boy, knowing his brother's behaviour, immediately became serious, scanning his surroundings while keeping a keen ear open. A low, almost rumbling humming sound met their ears, and Naruto stiffened as recognition hit him. "Argentum Angelus…" He heard Borgia say as the elder drew a brilliant red katana from its sheath, and touched the street with its tip. With a roar, a flood of fire coated the blade, cracking and bellowing as Borgia raised the blade. "Be ready, Naruto…" He said.

"Argentum Angelus?" Naruto asked. "The Silver Angels that old fart loves so much?"

"Yes…" Borgia hissed, as the humming grew louder. "Stand aside, boyo. This fight's too much for you."

"But… No! I can -"

_**BOOM!**_

In a rain of concrete and bricks, the house in front of them exploded with such force that it lifted Naruto clean off his feet, tossing him into a nearby wall, which cracked under the impact. The boy slowly slid down as a trail of blood leaked from his mouth, and he almost doubled over when he hit the floor.

"Naruto!" He slowly looked up to his brother, and saw the Angels in front of him, magnificent suits of silver armour, bearing golden rimming and insignias on the reflective surface as two swooping horns flanked the glowing blue light under the visors of their helms. Each had a pair of steel wings attached to its back, and each carried a large shield in one hand, and a long, sharp lance in the other. Naruto saw Borgia unsheathe his other katana, this one a deep blue colour, and he gaped slightly when spirals of wind formed around the blade. "Get back to Master, Naruto. Tell him Agnes is here too, and lead them here. I'll fight these fools back as far as I can. Now GO!" He yelled as he lunged at the first Angel. Naruto saw the armour-clad being thrusting its lance at Borgia, only for it to miss as the swordsman spun around it, gradually picking up speed as fire and wind merged into a molten cyclone while he spun. In an instant, the Angel's armour shattered under the intense heat of the cyclone, and it dissipated as Borgia came to a stop in front of the rest of the Angels.

It was then that he decided to do as his brother asked, and run. He quickly turned the corner, thinking of the quickest route to get to his Master and inform him of Agnes' involvement in their mission, when he turned down a side street - and saw one of the Angels, this one gold-plated with black linings and insignia, flying right at him at near inhuman speeds. His blood froze at the sight of the sharp, serrated sword in its hand, and the red glow from under its visor. It was flying at such a speed that the air around it was distorting as it moved. The boy quickly started to chant a spell as he moved back, just as a sinister golden glow enveloped the Angel. In less than a blink, it shot forwards with such speed that Naruto could hardly trace it before it reappeared - right in front of him.

_**SNIKT!**_

Naruto lurched as the blade seared through his chest, a sickening _crunch_ echoing through his head as the blade cut through his spine, completely piercing his body. The power behind the attack lifted the boy off his feet again, and he saw large wads of his blood float in mid-air as the attack seemed to continue as slowly as possible. He could literally feel every inch he moved back, seeing everything around him move at a slower pace until-

_**CRASH!**_

His body lurched backwards and everything around him sped up again as the sword drove clean into one of the houses behind him, pinning him to the wall. The pain of the attack registered in an instant, and he screamed, an agonizing, raw shriek of pain and suffering as the pain shot through his body, racking his small figure as the burning sensation spread through his body. The golden Angel saw this, and drove the sword even deeper into the wall, allowing the serrated edge to sear away at him even more.

"NARUTO!" The boy heard Borgia's yell even through his own screech, and from the corner of his eye, he saw the area where the Silver Knights had stood explode in a blaze of flame and charred rock, as his brother stormed at the knight with his katanas at the ready. At that point, the knight slowly turned back to Naruto with an almost disgusted attitude, and wrenched the blade into a twist before plucking it out of the wall.

His fall seemed to take forever - the ground loomed closer with each second, yet it still seemed too far away, leaving Naruto dazed and confused. '_Every fight we partake in, every conflict we resolve shall hold the possibility of your death'._ His Master's words echoed in his head, the very words he spoke on that day, two years ago. _And now it's happening_… The boy thought as he finally hit the ground, remaining face down in the dirt as he heard Borgia hacking away at the golden angel. _I guess… I guess this is it…_ He thought as he mustered the last of his strength to look up. He saw his brother fighting the Angel with a primal scream of rage escaping his throat, madness and hatred evident in his eyes. With a loud _clang_, the two locked blades as they stared each other down. Then, with a final cry of rage, Borgia swung both his blades to the left, diverting the Angel's attack as he spun. Naruto's head slumped down when the final blow met his ears, and his vision started to blur as the topmost half of the Angel hit the concrete in front of him.

Then his body went numb. His ears stopped pounding as everything fell silent. His vision stopped blurring as everything brightened in his eyes. His chest stopped stinging as his breathing stopped. And then the blackness came.

With a groan, Naruto sat up as he rubbed his eyes. The eerie, red glow cast across the room made it hard for him to adjust his eyesight, and the warm tufts of air colliding with his body only served to disorient him even more. It seemed to him like he was in some kind of sewer network, possibly a side chamber in one of the tunnels. Slowly, he got to his feet and scanned his surroundings, suddenly crying out as a pang of pain shot through his chest, pain that nearly brought him to his knees again.

"_**Hmph… What a weak brat you are…**_**"**A voice laced with disgust and venom echoed behind him, a voice that made him freeze as he paled, eyes wide. Slowly, he turned around, his breathing hitching with every inch he moved. Two sinister red eyes shone behind the bars in front of him, each slitted pupil dancing threateningly in the red irises as a set of sharp fangs decorated the long snout leading to the eyes. _**"How I wish I could crush you now…"**_ It said angrily, glaring at the boy. _**"Losing to something as pathetic as that no-good construct**_**…**"

"_That was not something that could be helped, Fox._" A familiar voice sounded behind Naruto, a voice that made the boy spin around in glee, a wide smile covering his face as his beloved Master came into view. Archos slowly strode towards the two of them, drawing a loud snarl from the Demon Fox.

"Master!" Naruto cried ecstatically, and leapt from where he stood, tightly hugging the black-clad mage. "Master… I… I lost… I…"

"_Hush, Naruto._" Archos said as he placed a hand on the boy's head. "_The entity you fought is a Golden Angel. It is far outside your abilities to fight one._" He said as he turned to the entity that he called the Demon Fox. "_You, however…_"

"_**I should've known you'd come here, Undying Warlock…"**_ It growled threateningly at Archos. "_**Such a caring Master to your student, even nicely sending him to his death. What a great relationship you two bolster…**_"

"_You are in no condition to judge me, Fox._" Archos chided as his eyes turned a solid shade of black, white, slitted pupils dancing in the dark ripples. "_You set into motion your own death when you refused to warn my disciple of the Angel._" He said. "_Now you shall die along with my student._"

"_**What?"**_ The Fox cried out, lashing at the bars with his claws. _**"What preposterous nonsense are you spouting? You are the Undying Warlock! The Harbinger of Shadow! The greatest mage in history! Yet you wish to tell me you cannot heal him?"**_

"_I can heal him._" Archos said. "_Yet healing him would mean keeping you alive… And now that you have made contact with your container, I know you shall continue to attempt to usurp his body from him. I shall not allow him to live with that, Fox. He dies, you die._"

"_**You fool!"**_ The fox cried, as Archos saw the pained look on Naruto's face. Tears were threatening to escape the boy's eyes, and his lower lip quivered. _**"Do you not see what you are doing to your precious student? You are sentencing him to death when he holds you in higher regard than he does the Hokage he strives to become! Yet this is how you repay him?"**_

"_Had this been any other encounter, you would be spewing a very different breed of senseless words, Fox. Do not attempt to use my disciple to play my emotions, for I assure you, you shall fail._" Archos replied, snapping his fingers. An ominous hum filled the air as several arcane circles bound the Fox where it stood, several circles poised around its snout to prevent it from ranting. Archos slowly turned to Naruto, whose tears were already wet from the tears. He frowned slightly when he saw the boy was refusing to cry. "_Naruto._" He called. The boy slowly looked up, lower lip trembling more than ever. "_As I said, young one, I can heal you, even after death. Do you wish life as a normal human, with this beast hounding you until your dying breath, or do you wish to be rid of the Fox, and be reborn, as a greater being than humanity could dream to achieve, as one like me? As a Veneficus, a Magical Being?_"

Naruto gazed at his Master with a mixed expression shock and awe, the remaining tears in his eyes now flowing freely down his face. _I…I can be like… like Master_? The boy thought as he felt the happiness start to bubble inside him. "W-Would you really do that, Master? H-How?" He asked, voice shaky as he quivered where he stood.

"_The minute your life leaves you, I shall place a part of my soul within you, Naruto_." Archos said as he gazed at the boy. "_Our souls shall merge, and you shall rise again as a Veneficus, a being of resolute power in this world._" He saw the tears start to flow down Naruto's face again as a wide smile spread across the boy's face. "_However, there is a reasonable price to pay, young one._" He said warily as Naruto gulped at the tone his voice had taken on. "_A Veneficus is a being of magic and magic alone. You shan't be able to mould chakra as a ninja, Naruto. You will hardly be human to begin with. Moreover, I doubt that a human city will accept a nonhuman as its ruler._"

Naruto almost wretched on the spot. His body lurched forward as he stepped back in horror. His Master was forcing him to make a very hard choice. _Destroy my dream…_ Naruto thought in horror. _Or destroy my life with that… that thing… _He glanced at the writhing form of the Nine-Tails. _This… This… This is too hard!_ He thought in despair as fell to his knees. "M-Master…" He sobbed. "I can't… I can't choose…" Archos looked at the boy with pity in his eyes.

"_I understand your despair, young one. There is, however, one last alternative._" The mage said as he turned back to face the Fox. "_I can turn you into a hybrid, Naruto. A half-human, half-Veneficus entity. The only drawback then will be the trials you will have to go through to fully awaken your Veneficus power. You will also partially surrender the immortality a Veneficus owns. However, you shall retain your humanity, as well as your ability to convert magica to chakra, and vice versa._" The mage turned back to the boy, who had perked up the moment the mage mentioned the alternative. "_The last obstacle you shall have to overcome is one that requires an impossible amount of willpower, Naruto. The merging of our souls shall cause you insurmountable pain during the shaping of the new soul, pain that could drive you to insanity._" He said warily as he turned back to the fox. "_We are short on time, and your life flees with each passing word. I need to know your decision now, Naruto. However, consider your answer wisely._" A chuckle from Naruto caused the mage to look around, and he was surprised to see a look of determination in the boy's wet eyes as Naruto clenched a fist in front of his chest, confident grin plastered on his face.

"I… I will go through a thousand years of pain if it means I can be Hokage one day, Master." He said, shaky voice brimming with confidence. "If that beast really was sealed into me, then let it stay. I don't know what will happen to it once you put your soul into me, and I don't care, either. It's because of that thing that I suffered the way I did - and I will _not_ forgive it for that!" He said. "I choose Hybrid, Master. I will suffer through the pain. I will reject that damn fox at every chance I get. I will master the Veneficus power - and I _will_ become Hokage one day, whether that beast is sealed in me or not! I'll show the people of Konoha what a great leader I can be…"

_Excellent choice, young one…_ Archos smiled under his mask as he turned to face the Fox, and with a simple wave, the arcane circles disappeared, allowing the beast to roar loudly, shaking the very foundations of Naruto's mindscape. "_**You insolent brat! How dare you insult me in such a manner?" **_It roared. _**"It's because of me that you survived that long in that village! Had it not been for me you would have died during the first attack!"**_

"And that's why I'm keeping you alive." Naruto growled. "My whole life I've heard how you ran around, causing trouble and chaos wherever you go, and killing people simply for the fun of it. No more. I will stop that." He said with a determined expression. "I will learn to take your chakra from you whether you want to give it to me or not, and I will learn to shut my mind off from you for good. You will _not_ influence me!"

"_**DAMN YOU!" **_The Fox roared at him. _**"I will kill you for this, you brat! You and your insolent master, and everyone else you will hold dear! You have not heard the last of me, you FOOL!"**_

"_Actually, he has._" Archos spoke as he raised his staff and pointed it at the Fox. "_Once the merging is complete, you shall be isolated from Naruto's soul and mind. You shall be nothing more than a mere backup reserve for his power, and the only way you shall be able to speak with him is if he wills it to be so…_" He said as several arcane circles appeared around the gem of his staff. "_Now, BE GONE!_"

With a loud _bang_, a burst of brilliant white light erupted from the tip of the mage's staff, colliding with the Fox's face. "_**NOOOOOOOOO!"**_ It roared at them. _**"YOU SHALL NOT DEFEAT ME THIS WAY! I WILL NOT BE RESTRAINED ANY MORE THAN THIS!"**_ It's roars caused Naruto to cover his ears as the room started to shake. _**"DID YOU HEAR ME, UNDYING WARLOCK? I WILL KILL YOU SOME DAY! YOU AND THAT BASTARD YOU CALL A DISCIPLE!"**_

With a final wave of his staff, the bright light disappeared completely, and the area behind the bars held nothing. It was completely black, and hardly a memory of breath escaped it. Slowly, Archos turned back to his student. "_Are you ready, disciple?_" He asked.

"More than I'll ever be!" Naruto grinned confidently as he stepped towards his Master. "Let's begin!" He said eagerly. His Master only nodded in compliance as he extended a hand and placed it on Naruto's forehead, uttering a string of incantations even Naruto could not decipher. A hazy, black smoke suddenly covered Archos' hand, and in the blink of an eye, it poured into Naruto's body. The pain exploded throughout his small frame, shaking his small frame to the very core. The dark shadows took over his vision in a flash, leaving him to suffer the agony in complete darkness.

His body screamed at him to call it off, to stop the madness, but he persevered. He sat through all the agony, gritting his teeth and occasionally screaming as the pain continued to course through his body in an ever-increasing flow. He grimaced inwardly when he felt his resolve begin to crumble - his hands twitched upward, trying to grab onto the mage's arm and pull it away, and he was having a hard time keeping them down. They seemed to act by their own will, jerking up at random instances, and he had to use every fibre of his being to keep them down.

Then, just when it seemed as though he was about to lose control of his actions, a faint glimmer of light appeared in the moving darkness dominating his vision. It was very faint at first, but within a while, it started to grow, piercing white light splaying across the darkness before it finally consumed the shadows completely. Then, in less than a second, everything turned black again.

With a loud gasp, Naruto shot upright, panting heavily as he gripped his forehead - only to pause when he felt no pain. He found himself inside a large tent, a small lamp hanging from one of the poles, and a warm, comfortable sleeping bag covering him up to right under his chest. "_You needn't fret, Naruto._" Archos suddenly appeared next to him, looking down at him with what looked like a smile in his eyes. "_The brunt of the pain is over. As of tomorrow, however, you shall start experiencing it again in smaller tufts._" Naruto opened his mouth to speak, and frowned when only a soft rasp escaped. "_You exhausted your voice during the merge, Naruto._" Archos said. "_Safaia nearly lost her resolve completely. However, she knows now that you are in good health, and she is resting as we speak._" The mage held out his hand to Naruto's face, and a black, spectral arm of solid shadow appeared next to his, slowly moving forward. "_You must rest now too, Naruto._" He said, motion with his hand to press the boy back down, the spectral arm copying every movement his hand made. A sudden fog filled the room as the spectral arm vanished, and Naruto lay content in his sleeping bag. _Hey… I know this…_ He thought as he felt his eyelids become heavy. _This… This is sleep-inducing fog… It-_ His thoughts immediately died out as his eyes fluttered closed, and he slept soundly.

-_**PRESENT TIME**_-

Hiruzen sat slumped in his chair, pale-faced and wide-eyed at the tale Naruto had just relayed to him. While he thought Naruto would most surely die on his journeys with the Harbinger of Shadow, it turned out that it was one of the best things to happen to the boy in his life. "All of that happened… In six short years?" He asked in disbelief.

"True story, gramps." Naruto grinned from his seat. "See, I am actually still twelve. The badassery you see here," he beckoned to himself with his two thumbs, "is only one of my three 'Human Alterations'. I've literally reshaped my body to look like that of a human. Hell, if I were to walk around as a Veneficus… They'd probably try to crucify me. That would, of course, mean a load of paperwork for you. Then I'd break free of that cross and kick everyone's ass, which would mean a load of _more_ paperwork." He grinned. "See, this way you can't call me inconsiderate."

Hiruzen chuckled at the boy's demeanour. It was indeed a refreshing change to have him back. "But you must have returned for a reason, Naruto?" He asked the boy. "I refuse to believe the Death Angel let you go after six short years…"

"Yeah, about that…" Naruto said, averting his gaze. "I'm actually here to break the silence concerning Master." He said. "See, Master has a request for you. I'm not sure what it is, I just know he sent me to tell you that he's on his way here. Is that okay with you, old man?"

"Seeing as it's you who's asking…" The Hokage pondered for a bit. "Do I have any choice but to say yes?"

"Well, you do…" Naruto mused. "But you probably will say yes anyways, just 'cuz it's me who's asking." He grinned in a coy fashion.

Hiruzen sighed at the almost childish attitude. With an exasperated groan, he shifted back in his seat. "You know, Naruto, with you back in the village I fear things are going to go haywire again really soon. I can tell you haven't changed a bit." The old man smiled. "Go ahead. Tell your master he may come as he pleases. But please," the old man asked with a pained expression. "Please, ask him not to kill anyone again?"

With a grin, Naruto did a back flip out of his chair and landed neatly on his feet. "Heh, you got it, old man. Hell, this is gonna be awesome… It's great to be back here!" He sang gleefully as he exited the office, leaving the Third to his thoughts. The old man chuckled slightly as he thought back on how Naruto had looked before he left, comparing it to the Naruto he had just seen. "I suspect you'll be quite the ladies' man this time around, Naruto…" He muttered as he took a long drag of his pipe. "It's good to have you back here too, kid…"

* * *

Naruto whistled happily as he left the Hokage's home and started down the street. "Hmm… Wonder where I should go next…" A sudden idea struck him, and he visually perked up as he immediately broke into a brisk walk, a huge smile plastered on his face. "Ichiraku's! My good grief, it's been _ages_ since I've - oh?" He stopped dead after turning down one of the streets, only to find a band of villagers awaiting him.

"Naruto Uzumaki?" One of the men called at him, raising a steel pipe to rest on his shoulders. The others bore similar weapons, and each one bore exactly the same look of hatred. Naruto seemed to ponder a while before answering.

"Naruto, eh? Hmm… Nope. Don't know him. I did, however, see a short blonde kiddo running around here. Blue eyes, orange jumpsuit, about yay high." He said, holding his palm out next to him to show the height.

"You don't fool us, Uzumaki." One of the oldest women in the group said. "We heard Ino Yamanaka-san talk about you. Tall, handsome, black hair with golden streaks. That sounds an awful lot like you…"

"Ah, crap. Trust a chick to - wait, you think I'm handsome?" He asked with a horrified face. "Eew! You're _old_! I think I'm gonna hurl…"

"Why you insolent little…" The woman seethed. "Get him!"

Naruto sighed as the crowd started to move towards him. "Just when I think Ino-chan proved me wrong, I find out that most of Konoha's people are complete douches. Way to make a guy feel welcome, fellas." The group only seethed at him, getting ready to attack him at the first possible chance. "However!" He said dramatically, raising his index finger. "I have a new theory planned. This time I won't run away." He grinned as he took up a stance. "This time I'm gonna kick your asses!"

He instantly did an elaborate twirl, and the crowd saw the plates on the back of his gloves glow a bright golden hue. "Let's see you take this…" Naruto smirked as he lashed out his arms, still twirling, making it seem like a macabre dance. He suddenly flicked his fingers against his thumbs, and several brilliant golden rapiers appeared out of nowhere, surrounding him as the spun. Each rapier was thick enough to count as an actual sword, and had four rose petals just under the blade. The crowd gasped as they realised that each rapier was made completely of fire - a fact that made Naruto grin even more as he stopped in a dance pose. "Dance Of Death (3), ready…" He said, neatly clapping his hands. Every rapier he launched suddenly appeared around him, all aimed at the crowd as another rapier appeared in each of his hands. With a feral grin, he looked at the crowd in anticipation.

"Heh… This is gonna be fun." He said. "Well? You want me?" He asked, tossing one of the rapiers into the air, where it stayed before he whipped his hand them. With an open palm, he made one simple 'Come on' motion with his hand. "Then come and get me!"

* * *

**THE BOOK OF SORCERY  
Here lays an archive of spells used the world around…**

**(1) Mico - Latin, lit. 'Flash'. Causes an orb of blinding light to appear at a predetermined area. Used to illuminate dark places or blind foes to either flee or close the distance to them.**

**(2) Caligo - Latin, lit. 'Darken'. Can only be used in co-operation with the Mico spell. This spell not only dissipates the Mico spell, but can also turn the source of blinding light into a source of disorienting darkness.**

**(3) Dance Of Death - Naruto's signature combat style - makes use of conjured weapons of varying levels of lethality.  
**

**A/N: Phew… This one was even longer than the last! Jeez… Real sorry about that. I know it's a sin to put one through so much reading. I guess you really can't stop the creativity, can you?**

**Well, the story is finally picking up. A crowd of angry villagers is about to get their asses handed to them, Ino has a new 'crush', Naruto's Master Archos' blades come into play and it seems that the entire series is gonna be shaken to its core by this New! Badass! Naruto. Just who is Roderick Agnes? Does Archos still have the Deus blade? And what was that move Naruto used on the two Chunin at the gate? All shall be revealed next chapter!**

**Well, that's Chapter 3 finished for you. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Please, leave a review and let me know how I'm doing. I need to get better at writing Naruto fics! I pray I didn't disappoint you guys.**

'**Til next time!  
CP**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Okay… More than a year without an update… This is awkward. Uh…

…

…

…My muse died? And came back to life? Anyway, here's how I make up for my shame! A nice, long chapter which I hope was worth the wait. Enjoy!

**NOTE:** Did some _major_ fixing in regards to previous chapters. Didn't change too much of the story, though.

**NOTE #2: **Brace your posteriors. This is a long chapter.

* * *

**Chapter II  
The Unexpected Duty**

"_**The time draws near…**_"

In the darkness, a body laid unmoving, chest still, motionless under the glass of the pod it resided in. The beeps and drones around the would-be corpse were steady - Monotonous, even - as ragged breaths echoed through the ventilators strapped to the machine. Even in darkness, a glint of steel flickered across the body's face – a sharp contrast to the translucency of the breathing mask chained to its face. There was a soft shuffling sound amid the tiresome sounds of machinery – footsteps so careful, so tentative they were almost silent. Ghostly pale skin, and a female face flanked by brilliant black hair shone every once and again in the few minor beams of moonlight that ebbed and flowed into the room at random intervals. Sorrowful eyes decorated the otherwise beautiful visage, as a small hand gingerly extended from the shadows, coming to rest on the lid of the pod-like container.

"_**The Harbinger has taken a student once more…**_"

As the grieving young girl turned her eyes away from the glass casket, the body's arm twitched. The dark voice was heard by it and it alone – the saddened servant oblivious, uncaring, and deaf toward the divine tone. It was as though a thousand voices spoke in unison, the differing pitches echoing off the glass and flowing into the corpse's mind. More twitches disturbed the tattered, faded robes adorning the long-dead person, and malformed hand of steel slowly slipped from the sleeve, cogs and gears grinding as the hydraulics in the fingers flexed, the sound of steel on steel creaking into the enclosed casket. The figure's head craned slightly, a loud, metallic _clink_ quickly shooting into the silence of the pod as symptoms of ageing steel became more audible by the moment.

"_**An impostor, this time… An aberration… An **_**abomination**_**…**_"

The corpse's writhing started to increase. Several loud creaks and clinks filled the once dead-silent room as the mechanical limbs of the body started to move for the first time in months. Another steel hand shot forth from the other sleeve, a crudely assembled, four-fingered instrument of horror, each tip fitted with a rusted, serrated blade, wickedly curved and razor sharp.

"_**It is a child of the fallen one, he who brought divine disgrace upon our kind…**_"

A soft gasp echoed as the young girl's head snapped back to the pod, crimson eyes wide with worry as she rushed to see her patient, her master. Her hands quickly landed on the glass lid, two dark, leathery wings cutting off the piercing moonlight shining into the odd casket as a sickly green glow enveloped the body under her hands. The robes pulled open, revealing a monstrosity – preserved flesh, decayed to the point of white hues, complemented by an assortment of pipes and wires and bolts and steel plates; an amalgam of flesh and construct.

"_**It is a 'Ninja', my champion…**_"

The young girl gasped as two eyes came to life within the pod; one normal, human, emanating a bright, natural green – the other, naught but a bulb, a lens flaring red on the steel plating coating half of the figure's face. She started to quiver, her wings flaring nervously as items around her started to shake and tremble at the influx of power erupting from the fragile, would-be corpse. Chairs toppled, shelves fell from their mounts, dust covered glasses and cups tumbled off the sides of desks as drawers and cupboards were flung open, their contents exploding outwards in storms of paper and leather and porcelain. A fearful whimper escaped the girl's dark lips as she turned her eyes back to the glass casket, and recoiled slightly as she saw the bright green and sinister red auras merging under the translucent cover. Slowly, almost fearfully, her lips parted as a low whine escaped her throat: "Ma…Master?"

And just then, the auras merged – a bright, amber light flickered through the lid of the pod for a few faint second, and then it exploded, a wave of shrapnel and shards of glass flinging the young girl back into the solid, cement walls as pieces of metal skewered her lithe frame just as it disappeared into the smoke that followed the blast. A pained groan could be heard from the wall, before the sound of her body slumping signalled an almost serene silence – a dead silence.

Most machines beeped and whirred no longer; the ventilators were broken, turned on their sides, inactive by all definitions… And yet, there was still wheezing, gasping, rasping and gurgling, each sound muffled by _something_.

Slowly the smoke cleared, the shadows replacing them becoming even more ominous as they surrounded a last beam of moonlight, shining down directly onto the remains of the incubator – as well as the figure slumped on its knees inside it. Slowly, it rose to its feet, matted grey hair falling forward to hide the red eye and the dead steel as gears grinded to propel the corpse to its full height. The gurgling stopped and the rasping evened out, and the wilted body that had been supported by machines and medical equipment not two minutes ago now stood at its impressive height, the tattered robe hanging heavy in the absence of a breeze. Its breathing, though steady, rhythmic, even, was deep and laboured, as though the long slumber made it an alien action, something to get used to once more.

"_**Breathe once more, squire…**_" The legion of voices invaded the figure's mind once more. "_**We have need of you again.**_"

The newly reborn figure turned its head to its fallen caretaker, a quick gasp of alarm getting caught in the rebreather planted on its face as it rushed forward, each second step creating a loud _thud_ as it limped toward the fallen female. It dropped to its knees as it reached her, its visible eyes scanning her face and body. A look of relief appeared in the corpse's normal eye as it saw its caretaker healing already – pieces of shrapnel were being pushed out of her wounds as skin and muscle knitted back together at a surprising pace. Slowly, the corpse gazed at its clawed hand, and grunted as the fingertips split open. The bladed tips started to disassemble, retracting into short, sharp nails, often hindered by bits of rust refusing to budge.

"_**Three years have passed, Agnes…**_" The voices assaulted the figure's mind again. "_**Three years since your slumber started…**_"

The figure tentatively scooped the fallen girl into his arms, signs of a ghost of a smile appearing in its visible eye as his caretaker sighed contentedly. Slowly he turned back to the broken coffin, and with a glint of light flicking through the iris of its good eye, the broken pipes and bent steel quickly writhed and contorted, twisting into new shapes. Within moments, what had once been a cold, lifeless, harsh incubator had been turned into one of the finest beds the corpse could conjure. Slowly, it set the winged beauty down on the silk sheets, tenderly caressing her cheek with its bladeless hand. She stirred slightly under the cold steel of his touch, but a warm smile tugged at her dark lips as she rested.

"_**Your powers will reach their heights soon…**_"

The rebreather distorted the sigh of relief that escaped the corpse's rotted throat. Slowly, its eye closed, its head slumping slightly at deciphering its caretaker would be safe.

"_**Your armies will be as vast as they were so long ago…**_"

It turned away from the bed sharply, its tattered cloak swishing behind it as it stomped off. More beams of moonlight had started to invade the room as he stormed out, finding himself in the antechamber leading to his small lair. The floor was littered with bones, weapons, armour and tools. The figure grunted – these were his most trusted guards three years prior. He glanced to the side of the room, and saw a skeleton, covered in dust and cobwebs, still clutching its sheathed sword to its chest. Even in death, even in inactivity, they were still loyal… still prepared.

And they would be once more.

The figure slowly raised its four-fingered hand, the jagged blades flicking forth from the tips as an ominous shade of green enveloped it. "_Orior (1)_…" The figure spoke as the vile magics around its hand spread through the room like a wave of water – and the results were near instantaneous.

Jaws hanging limp snapped shut with a fury that made dust fly from it in clouds as a malevolent emerald glow dominated the skulls' eye sockets. Bones, armour and weapons flew towards each other as the guards reconstructed themselves, unholy aberrations of undeath reassembling after their long sleep, clutching swords and hammers and axes and shields and roaring through non-existent throats. The figure smiled as it saw the sheer rage in the sockets of its servants. It saw their weapons shining in the dim light of its magic, and it saw their shields held at the ready, as though expecting an attack even here, in the middle of its sanctuary. Such was the loyalty it commanded from its warriors – and such is the loyalty it received.

"_**Your Angels await your command even now…**_"

The figure darted forwards, the magic in the room illuminating its feet as they popped out from beneath its robes as it walked, one clad in the old, cracked remains of a leather shoe, the other a solid mass of steel in the shape of a thick-soled boot. It had been wondering why it sensed so many of its powerful underlings – most of its stronger warriors and lieutenants would have to be reawakened. To hear that some of its Angels persisted through his slumber, forsaken without its magic to power them and its voice to guide them, brought a foreign feeling of giddiness and glee to its twisted mind.

"_**And your prey is ripe for the taking…**_"

With a thunderous _boom_, the figure blasted the stone doors of the antechamber with its magics, and they grinded and creaked as they were blown open far faster than they should have been. Even in its state of half-life, the figure felt the chill of a graveyard in the breeze that assailed it. The three dozen skeletal warriors around it wailed and roared and chanted as the pale light of the moon cascaded into the room, and charged forth past their master in glee, awaiting the fulfilment of their summoner's promise of constant war and death. Slowly the figure moved forwards and saw the graveyard that left its stench on the winds – it was a colossal canyon beneath his sanctuary, a deep trench carved into the earth, a scar of death and darkness etched deep into the desolate desert landscape surrounding the rims of the cliffs around the walking corpse. A smile became evident in its good eye once more as it gazed down and saw its legions – a slaughtering ground filled with bones and monsters and abominations and beast-men and war machines seemingly taken from the nightmares of those forsaken by sanity.

Just as before, the corpse raised its hands; the vile, sickeningly green magics weaved around its fingers once more, and with a deep, raspy bellow, it threw a wave of emerald mist forth into the chasm…

… And just as before, the results were immediate.

It was as though a million jade-coloured stars flickered to life in a desolate night sky painted on the floor of the canyon. Eyes opened in waves, and the roars of anger and lust for battle, which had started as an inaudible howl on the wind, was now a deafening cacophony of bleats and screams and shouts and profanity. The entire crevice was filled with naught but malice – malice of the soldiers and monstrosities just awakened by a walking, mechanized corpse.

"_**My squire…**_" The legion of voices echoed in the undead mage's thoughts. "_**My general… My Champion…**_" Slowly, the figure turned its plated, masked face upwards, the gleam from the lens in its eye socket shining through the fibres of grey hair. "_**Roderick Agnes… My right hand… I ask of you: Will you lead the strike against the fools who exist in this cycle?!**_"

"…Yes, lord…" The voice was low, muffled by the rebreather, but it was determined – almost frightfully so.

"_**Will you fight to grant me my dominion over this barren world?!**_"

"…Yes, lord…"

"_**And in the end, my champion… When all of creation lies on its knees at my feet… When all the joy in this cycle has turned to ash, and when all love has turned to fear… When other gods have been slain by our hand, their believers hung by hooks and split under my axe…**_" The figure, Roderick Agnes, felt himself shiver under his god's rage. "_**When all that is good has been crushed, trampled… extinguished… Will you rule by my side, as you have fought all these years?**_" This time even the rebreather could not mask Agnes' surprised gasp. "_**Will you serve as my hand, my voice and my will in my dominion?!**_"

Agnes could just barely fathom what was being asked of him. His lord, his _god_, was not only asking him to spearhead the invasion of creation, but also to stand by his side in the aftermath – to rule with him in his reign of terror. After aeons of service, his lord had finally decided to initiate his unmaking of order and life, and was using _him_ – a _caster_ – to lead it. He could not help it anymore – Agnes dropped to his knees in awe, both eyes looking upwards, his hands in front of him and his palms turned to the sky as he spoke.

"My lord… My god… Now, in times past, and in times coming… These hands serve naught but you…"

* * *

'_Naruto…_ _I shan't indulge in idle chatter concerning this topic. For you to become the ruler you so deeply desire to be, there be matters most foul you must come to terms with first – for the path you shall soon embark on is not as it is in fairy tales and imaginariums.'_

A loud _crash_ echoed through the suddenly empty streets as two of Naruto's attackers flew through a store window. He grinned as he fell back into his fighting stance – that roundhouse came out of nowhere, and he had to suppress a chuckle at seeing the massive, inevitable 'Oh, shit'-looks flicker across their faces. If he had not spent six years training under someone who, to put it bluntly, turned elite ANBU forces into Ninja Stir-Fry with a thought, then maybe, just _maybe_ he'd still be the puny little orange-wearing pipsqueak he'd been when left. Unfortunately for them, that was not the case.

The fact that Naruto was unleashing, in his own opinion, the mother of all ass-kickings on them testified to that.

'_Your journey will be a long and arduous one. No king, no ruler has ever risen to a throne without might to take it and the wisdom to hold it. Every shepherd must brace himself for the loss of a few flocks. Every farmer must brace himself against the odds of poor harvests. Every soldier must brace himself against the possibility of death – and every leader must brace himself for all these and more.'_

Naruto smirked as he recalled the words of his Master. He remembered the night those words were said to him. It had been the day he took his first life – a constable who abused his power and made the lives around him hell. But he learned something that day. He learned something about himself when his kunai sunk into the tyrant's throat. It wasn't about some lame shit like repressed feelings of hatred or a sudden love of power and ability, as likely as they may have sounded at the time – gods, he _wished _it was something that complex. He had learned that, through Archos' teachings, he'd already become more cold and impassive than a hundred years of ninja training could have made him.

Because after he killed the constable, he retired to his tent – and slept like a baby… And the next day, the deed was forgotten.

When he _realized_ he had forgotten the fact that he carved someone's throat out, however… When he realized he discarded the knowledge of widowing a young woman and orphaning a little child… _That_ realization made him, for want of better words, freak the unholy fuck out.

'_As sacred as all life is, Naruto, there shall be times when extinguishing one life can mean salvation for a hundred more. This, you must understand, Naruto: there will __**always**__ be casualties. There will __**always**__ be sacrifices – whether those be villains, heroes or innocents.'_

It made sense, he thought to himself as he casually planted his boot in another attacker's face in what he would later describe to be a _totally_ badass roundhouse kick. Granted, he'd plunged the lives of that constable's family into disorder and chaos and sorrow, but what if he let the rat-fucking pile of scum live? Sure, wifey and kiddo would be happy, but the constable would still treat the villagers like crap. Back then, Naruto didn't think as he did now – back then he freaked out when Archos told him there'd always be victims. No self-respecting Hokage would ever do anything or make any decision that could even _remotely_ harm his subjects… Would he?

He grunted, a smirk crossing his lips as he nimbly ducked beneath a swung katana – wait, katana? "What the _fuck_, dude?" He effortlessly kicked the villager using the sword square in the ribs and sent him careening to the ground. "A sword? A _sword_?! Seriously?!" Let it be known that his tongue and his attitude were the two things Naruto's master simply _could not_ curb. "I should break your face for that, you dumbass!" He spat. Seriously, he was getting pissed off. He didn't know what happened after he left, but whatever took place did a _helluva _number on his already-rotten reputation. These villagers were sporting a _massive_ murder hard-on for him, that was for sure.

'_One of the keys to being any kind of leader is to know how to minimize those casualties, Naruto. Killing one could better the lives of a thousand, and yet, killing a thousand can save one who, in turn, could save a thousand more _without_ any death or destruction. Such is the nature of the choices you will make someday, Naruto – and part of my role today is to ensure you are prepared to do so.'_

He smirked as the sword-wielder lost consciousness with a low, almost inaudible moan. "Ya need more than that to cut _this_ badass, gramps!" Naruto boasted with a wide smile as magic gathered in his hands. In a flash, a two weapons made of some kind of red glass, a bastard sword and a blunt mace, were clutched in his fists. "You guys are _so _lucky I still like this village…" He muttered in excitement. He felt the whisker marks on his face start to show – all this excitement was messing with his glamor. "Otherwise these would actually be _lethal_, y'know?" He grinned impishly.

The remaining members of his little hate-club disregarded his threat and charged.

Naruto shrugged as he readied his magical weapons. He didn't blame them for being less scared of his weapons than they were when the fight broke out – they probably saw that they didn't cut or maim or kill, instead just passing through their victims like smoke and causing some pain with no wounds. Yet apparently, malice mated with stupidity and birthed some kind of insane, unholy breed of logic that said that, despite making several now-face-down mobsters _lose consciousness_, this pain was okay if it gave them the chance to hurt him.

Naruto planned to halt _that_ particular breed of bullshit logic there and then.

'_Fret not, disciple – I shan't make you a monster. I liberated you from monsters – I shall perish at the hands of gods past, present _and_ future before I see you fall to those depths, to _my_ depths. You will realize I shall teach you more than magic, Naruto. I shall teach you everything you need on the journey forward… I shall teach you as much of what I can practice as possible – and I shall teach you that which I cannot anymore.'_

Naruto cringed slightly as the bastard sword in his right hand floated through a female attacker's midsection, making her grasp her stomach and screech loudly before falling flat on her face and blacking out. He _really_ needed to thank Safaia as soon as she arrived – the non-lethal variants of his crafting spells were pure _gold_ in the situation at hand. The mace in his left hand was another matter – these villagers _did_ make the mistake of pissing him off, after all. Solidifying the edges just a _bit_ was enough to sufficiently satisfy him, and the loud _thunk _sounds that accompanied each attack brought a sense of childish giddiness to him each time he slammed it into an attacker's stomach.

Cruel as it may sound, he found the way their eyes bulged out when he knocked their wind out with the mace to be funny as hell.

'_You, of all people, have seen that the legends spewing my name no longer do me justice, disciple. Gone is the Undying Warlock who strove for peace across creation. Gone is the arch-mage who opposed war and strife, and who looked to a future most considered naïve. Gone is the bastion of justice, fairness, goodness and hope who brought tranquillity and prosperity in his wake… And in his shadow stands a Harbinger forsaken by his faith in the world.'_

With a loud _crack,_ the bastard sword shattered and faded away, much to Naruto's exasperation. That was the only crap he still needed to overcome concerning his conjuration magics – whatever he brought into existence didn't always last very long. "Pfffft. Like that'll change anything," he said with a sly grin as another sword appeared in his free hand, this one a macabre mix between a shortsword and a sickle. "What the hell did I _do_ to make you people attack me anyway? One minute I'm planning to head to Ichiraku's for some ramen and the next I'm kicking civvies' asses while looking like a total badass," he grinned with a goofy expression on his face. "What gives, huh?"

"You should've stayed _away_, you monster!"

"O-kay…" Naruto nodded with a confused look on his face. "Not really an answer, but I guess it'll do. I'm gonna assume you retards are gonna try bull-rushing me again? Despite the fact that I've proven I'm an absolutely _awesome_ matador?" He saw his attackers gritting their teeth and staring daggers into his face. "Well, come on, then! I've fought _cats_ stronger than you dust piles!"

'_While most would speak of steeling your soul and your emotions in the face of the pursuit of leadership, I can tell you now: 'Most' are completely devoid of any form of intellectual and logical thought. The leader who bares love for his people will be the leader who smiles each day and night, whilst the king who turns his mind and heart to steel will be the tyrant overthrown by his own subjects. Such is the most common fact of leadership.'_

He was over it, honestly speaking. The whole 'you're a monster, you need to lay down and let us kick the unholy shit out of you'-business from six years ago still floated in his thoughts from time to time, yes, but it didn't bother him that much anymore for two reasons: One, he'd seen people who were suffering _way_ more than he was for _far_ more childish reasons. Two, well… Archos _was_ his Master, after all. Six years of rigorous sink-or-swim training pretty much made him badass enough to not only lay the smack down on anyone who'd try their shit with him again, but also seduce their wives and daughters afterwards.

Granted, he'd likely fail _spectacularly_ at the 'seduction' part, but what the hell. A try was a try, no matter how poor.

Naruto shrugged as a hearty laugh poured from his mouth. "Come on, _come on_! I'm hardly trying here!" The misty red mace cracked, shattered and evaporated just after it collided with some poor bloke's face and sent him to the floor. Naruto shrugged again, and with another swirl of red magic a very vicious-looking kukri now twirled between his fingers. "Can't you idiots take a hint? There's four of you left – _four_. Round about now people would stop thinking you'd be weak if you ran away, y'know…"

'_Many would say you endanger yourself if you wear your heart on your sleeve, Naruto. Many would say it would make you an easy target, a fool to be manipulated and played. But they were all weak, not of judgment but of thought; for if the mind is sharp enough, the heart is as safe as can be. I know of your kind, my student – I have taught many such as you before, each one carefree and openly emotional, and not a single one of them fell prey to manipulation. My teachings are more than a catalyst for your magics, Naruto – they are embers and sparks for the fire in your soul and whetstones that shall sharpen your mind.'_

Oh, his mind was sharpened, alright. Had he still been the naïve, perpetually shrinking doormat he'd been six years ago he'd have thought that everyone who attacked him was some gutless asshole who couldn't jack off without picturing some kind of murder or abuse. But he'd risen beyond that. Archos told him _everything_ about the Nine-Tailed fox the night after he became a hybrid of man and magic. He spared not a single detail about the destruction it unleashed upon the village, and not a single emotion pierced his voice as he spoke of everyone who died protecting it from the beast's rampage. For someone who apparently 'scorned' ninjas, Archos sure knew a lot about them.

There wasn't a doubt in his mind that his attackers were people who lost someone precious in that battle. Probably a son or a daughter or a wife or a husband – either way, he could understand their pain somewhat. Losing a loved one, despite having little experience in the matter, was a _very_ hard strike, both against the heart and the soul – he knew that much. His Master had always said that mourning was the 'most tragic thing in all of creation'.

Yet despite this, Naruto grinned.

Because deep down, he knew things his attackers couldn't _dream_ of finding out any time soon.

'_I shall teach you wisdom, for mine grows darker by the year.'_

He would prove them all wrong – without a doubt.

'_I shall teach you compassion, for mine has worn thin.'_

He'd show them all that he was not the Fox – he was Naruto, the man who'd be the greatest Hokage ever.

'_I shall teach you righteousness, for my wickedness shall soon surpass my own.'_

And he'd _never_ let an attack like the one twelve years ago happen again. As much as his smile contrasted his thoughts, he'd die before he let them all throw their lives away again.

'_I shall teach you mercy, for it is something I am no longer capable of.'_

He huffed to himself as he smirked. That was his choice. That was what he'd strive towards. Each of his siblings always moved towards their own goals – it was about time he started moving towards his own as well.

'_I shall teach you fairness, for my rage leaves no glimmer of it in my soul.'_

And _nobody_ would stop him from reaching it in the end – he was _damn_ sure about that. He'd swat them aside like the poor fools who were attacking him now, and if his opponents managed to knock him down, he'd get right back up and in their faces again, and he'd keep at that until his foes eventually perished.

Because _that_ was how he was taught to live.

'_And above all, Naruto, I shall teach you to be a bringer of hope – for in _my_ wake, there is naught but death and destruction.'_

And with that, the memory of that night ended just as his heel slammed into the last mobster's temple and sent him careening into a wall. "Game, set, _match_, losers!" He grinned. "Might wanna hit the training grounds if you wanna come at me again." He snickered. Yes, he was being a cruel, cruel person for laughing at people who just had their asses handed to them on a silver platter, but hey, they were absolute dicks to him before he left six years ago. He reckoned it was nothing more than their just desserts for trying to bully an awesome person. Suddenly, his eyes opened as his face lit up with happiness. "Hey guys!" He excitedly called to the fallen assailants. "Guess what?" He grinned in a goofy manner. "Nobody's gonna believe you~!" He said happily as he turned to walk away from them, planning to savour the payback he'd finally gotten after enduring harsh crap for six years…

Only to stop, frozen in his tracks, as his eyes widened slightly and his mouth dried up.

There, standing before him, were three rather short figures he recognized almost instantly, despite not seeing two of them for six years.

First he saw Ino, standing there with a look of complete confusion and awe etched onto her face… and a slight, _very_ slight tint of pink on her cheeks.

Then his eyes settled on a rotund little boy currently stuffing his face with chips despite his eyes being stretched as wide as they could be, and Naruto recognized him as Choji Akimichi.

And lastly, Naruto looked at the third figure, a young boy taller than the other two with his hair in a spiky ponytail, who was – much to the young mage's chagrin – standing there with a wary frown. That was Shikamaru Nara.

_Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, shit, shit…!_ It was only through several years' worth of rigorous self-control training that kept Naruto from vocalizing his current thought train there and then. Somehow, despite his panic, some small semblance of common sense told him that swearing loudly and repeatedly now would _not_ make the matter at hand any easier to deal with. _Keep calm, keep calm…_ He thought to himself as he thought of a way to solve the current crisis of having three up-and-coming young ninjas seeing him tenderize a bunch of civilians. _Keep calm and act badass, that's all you need to do…_ "So… How much of that did you guys see?" He grinned goofily…

…And inwardly palmed his face almost immediately. _Smooth, Naruto… very smooth, _He chided himself. _Smooth enough to sand down a fucking table…_

"Um…" Ino spoke up first. Her demeanour was… very different from the one he'd seen before he went to see the old man. She seemed slightly uncomfortable around him now. "We… We got here just before they charged at you," she said almost sheepishly, taking a step back, as though she was scared he'd attack them as well. "We… We saw everything."

…_Well, shit. _

Naruto sighed as his shoulders slumped slight. _I fucking hate that law about things going wrong…_ He thought with a grumble as he scratched the back of his head. "Well… This is awkward," he stated stupidly. "Very awkward." The fact that the three young ninjas in front of him nodded in agreement didn't exactly ease the mood much, either. There was a tense silence between the four of them for a while, with Ino looking at Naruto in confusion, Choji crunching down on chips and staring at him intently, Shikamaru (shockingly) standing on guard and Naruto mentally twiddling his thumbs as he thought of how to deal with this new development.

Suddenly, a confident smile appeared on his face, unnerving the three ninjas before him slightly.

His travels with Archos and his siblings didn't leave him unprepared for a situation like this – Borgia was a shit-talker by nature and because of Naruto's interactions with him, a lot of the young ninja-mage's inherent sarcasm, wit and shit-talking abilities could be chalked up to his older brother's antics and mannerisms. Naruto was no stranger to talking himself out of situations – he balanced his kill tally and his persuasion tally quite nicely, and there'd been several instances where, in the absence of his charismatic brother, Naruto had saved face – and people – with little more than his tongue and his imagination. He had bartered _indescribably _epic weapons from vendors, wooed princesses (and received _mind-numbingly_ scary glares from their fathers) and even turned bandits away simply by making up nonsense.

Hell, he remembered a time when – despite all odds - he shit-talked his way out of a brothel of succubi. Boy, was _that_ a tale for the campfires.

Steeling himself, he grinned at the three ninjas. Explaining himself now would be a cakewalk, even if he _did_ inherently freak out a bit when he turned around and saw them standing there. He was already spinning a surprisingly good story in the recesses of his mind – all he needed to do now was calm down the three jumpy ninjas in front of him, convince them that, no, he was _not_ going to kick their asses, and then spin up a story about the people mistaking him as the guy who flame-grilled all the ANBU all those years back. Simple. All they _should_ have known is that some strong dude in wickedly cool black attire arrived and stole a kid.

He was strong. He wore black. And the black he wore was cool. Granted, he wasn't as cool as his Master – he couldn't, for the _life_ of him, whip up firestorms and singularities on a whim and slowly freeze some poor bastard from the inside out – but he liked to believe he was badass enough to pass as someone who pulled off an incredibly badass feat.

So with renewed conviction in his heart and a masterfully crafted bullshit story in his head, he smiled widely and breathed in – inaudibly, of course. The last thing he wanted was to appear as a pushover after dishing out a righteous ass-kicking. He glanced at the three ninjas, smiled…

… and felt his mind freeze up and blank out.

He stood there blinking for a few seconds, trying his best to recall the (undoubtedly) epic tale he'd conjured up in seconds, but it was futile. His mind hardly recalled some of his _spells_, let alone a tale to fool three up-and-coming ninjas. With a feeling of utter hopelessness and a rapidly sinking heart, Naruto realized he blanked - At one of the most crucial times possible. Just as it had so many times in the past. And just this once, Naruto deemed it appropriate to respond _exactly_ the same way he responded then. So with a disgruntled growl he opened his mouth and gave voice to his current thoughts.

"…Oh for _fuck's _sakes…"

* * *

"_It would seem there be magical clichés even here, aged one…_"

Hiruzen Sarutobi jumped slightly as the cold, distinctly familiar voice flooded his ears again. He didn't need to look up from the ornate crystal ball resting on his table – the ever iconic black robes behind the glass object were still in sight, and even though he did not look up, he felt the eyes of the 'Undying Warlock' bearing right into his soul. It made the old Hokage panic slightly – he'd told Naruto it was okay if his Master came back along, but he couldn't _possibly_ prepare himself for the mage's arrival not even fifteen minutes after said conversation.

"It is quite useful…" He made small talk as he kept his eyes on the globe. He had just witnessed how Naruto schooled the angry mob that attacked him with minimal effort - to say he was impressed would be an understatement. Granted, he panicked when Naruto materialized several red rapiers and a handful of other weapons out of nowhere, but when they proved to be non-lethal he had calmed down considerably. "I can see why so many people made use of it in the stories."

"_Your soul speaks volumes, old leader…_" Archos' voice, despite it lacking the same condescending tone it had six years ago, was still as cold and heartless as ever. "_It tells me many things. I hear screams of emotion that you could not possibly fathom – screams of pride at the boy's skill, and screams of sorrow and regret. There be much anguish in your heart, Hiruzen,_" the mage spoke. "_Anguish passed by my eyes the night we met six years ago._"

"Anguish… Yes, there's a lot of that," Hiruzen smiled sadly as he finally looked up. The Harbinger had not changed a bit – the white mask was still spotless and bright, the robes and hood still black as night and his eyes still as deep and red as they were the night Naruto left. "Anguish concerning things I only realized after you left here with Naruto…" He looked back at the crystal ball. "He has grown into a fine warrior…"

"_The boy was quite an energetic soul during our travels,_" the mage spoke as he stood, unmoving. "_The bond between him and my other students is one petty things like blood can only dream to achieve. He has found the siblings he never had during his travels, four individuals who would accept him immediately, wholeheartedly and unconditionally. And yet…_" The mage wavered. "_Old one… Not a single day passed that his soul did not take refuge in the memories of you and others here. Even the revelation of the knowledge you kept from him could not shake his view of you._"

The Third had a look of complete and utter shock on his face. What the mage was implying… The Undying Warlock had told Naruto _everything_, and he still claimed the boy did not judge or hold hate. "I… I was such a fool…" He said dejectedly. "He suffered… He suffered terribly and I only offered him a shoulder to cry on… I should have done more… I should have stopped it all… Put some kind of law in effect, stationed jonin loyal to the Fourth to stand guard, anything…" His voice was cracking.

"_Do not fret now, old one,_" the mage's words came far sooner than the seasoned Hokage had expected it. "_I care not for the reasoning behind your actions then, and neither does Naruto. He outright stated he did not care when I told him – he still saw you as a grandfather despite everything he learned._" The words shook Hiruzen to the very core of his soul. "_Many nights, we spoke of his views and opinions on everything. Despite all the suffering and anguish he experienced, he still spoke of this village with compassion and drive that I have not bared witness to in over twenty lifetimes. He has looked past it all, aged one – he has taken the abuse and the scorn and the dismissal, dealt with it, and rose above it all with this village and everyone in it still situated right at the centre of his heart._" Despite the whirlwind of emotions Hiruzen found himself in, he could clearly hear the pride in Archos' voice – and he felt that same pride tugging at his heart as they spoke.

"Could he truly…" Hiruzen was almost at a loss for words. "Has he… Has he forgiven everyone here… that easily?"

"_He is still sour about certain aspects,_" Archos said with a bored tone. "_He made his intent of 'beating sense' into shopkeepers from now on very clear…_" He looked towards the crystal ball. "_But indeed, he has forgiven all for their crimes towards him, and he is slowly in the process of forgetting._"

Hiruzen slumped in his chair. All the nights he spent filled with regret about what happened, all the times he cursed himself for not telling Naruto the entire truth, all the council meetings filled with rising hatred of the boy, and all the times he feared savage revenge should the truth come out… Those were all for nothing. Naruto was back, and he wasn't holding any grudges. Granted, the old Hokage had just seen how the boy would respond to angry mobs from now on… But his defence against his attackers, while arrogant and self-centred, was hardly executed with hate or malice. He had moved on, overcome the obstacles of his childhood and carried on as though it was worth nothing. The revelation rendered the wise ninja speechless for the first time in years.

"_It would seem,_" the mage spoke up again, pulling Hiruzen from his reverie, "_that I allowed vanity to take rein during my last visit here._" The gold-lined red eyes were slightly softer than they were during the beginning of their little meeting. They were still cold, almost unnaturally so, but there was a speck of warmth in his gaze. "_I overstepped my authority in your own town and boasted in manners uncouth for one of my experience and age,_" he spoke again. "_You have… my sincerest apologies for my childish behaviour. Threats were hardly an acceptable manner of resolving our conflict._"

Archos was still just as professional and business-like as he was on that night, six years ago. Hiruzen's mind was still in shambles after hearing of Naruto's compassion and good nature, but the Warlock was not going to stand by all day and wait for him to finally succumb to tears of joy and mutters of happiness. It hardly took the old man a few seconds to steel his emotions – at least temporarily. He'd have a lot to speak to Naruto about after this meeting. "Apologies are hardly needed, Archos-san," he spoke with a hint of a smile. "I was out of my element too – displaying hostility was foolish on my part. I'll admit it was a tad… unnerving to see someone I only thought to exist in fairytales from the outer lands pop up right in the middle of my office."

"_Then the intended effect was received._" Hiruzen could almost _swear_ he could hear wry tones on the mage's voice as he spoke. "_It be both placating and unnerving to know that there exist those who know of me even in this barren land of non-believers,_" he spoke. "_Tell me, aged one… Are you the only one here who knows of my existence?_"

"A lot of people here are swearing that you exist, Archos-san," Hiruzen said sadly. "The incident with the ANBU has driven a rift between the people of this village. The council has been up in arms for the past six years, ANBU ranks have split into two different factions and to make matters worse, some of them are convinced _you_ created the Tailed Beasts with the goal of destroying everything in the Elemental Nations." He frowned. "At first I thought it was nothing but their hate talking, that people would ignore it and let it blow over… But there are people who are starting to believe them."

"'_Tis hardly a surprise…_" the mage spoke with little concern evident in his eyes. "_It is not the first time I have been credited with such a deed. Indeed, I witnessed the creation of those beasts, but I did not create them._" His eyes never left the crystal globe. "_It is well within my power to destroy these lands, Aged One. If I wished to annihilate the 'Elemental Nations' it would have been done by my own hand – not a flock of petty creatures who can't even resist basic sealing._" A frown became evident under the white mask. "_How many spew such nonsense?_"

"A handful of ANBU who are… more than adamant that you are a monster who's stolen back the Nine-Tailed Fox for his own cruel deeds." Hiruzen spat the last part of the sentence in disgust. "Even the Root members think they're insane… But there are some villagers who are starting to believe them."

"_Then I shall rectify this problem,_" the mage spoke coldly. "_Come dusk I shall ensnare their minds and make them believe otherwise. At daybreak tomorrow they shall stride through this village and admit their tale of beasts as a fickle conspiracy they dreamt of._" The mage's golden irises flashed slightly as Naruto walked with three smaller ninjas-in-training in the visage of the crystal ball. "_I shall not, however, erase the knowledge of my existence._"

"I think I know why," Hiruzen spoke with a distressed sigh. "Better to be feared and avoided than unknown and underestimated?"

"_Precisely._" The mage's eyes finally left the crystal ball. "_I decimated fifty-five members of your ranks during my last visit,_" he spoke as he gazed at the wise Hokage before him. "_That alone should tell you my opinion of mercy. If I am attacked I will retaliate in kind – nothing more and nothing less. If they fight with the wish to murder me, then I shall fight with that same wish._" He saw the Hokage shiver slightly. "_That is why I am not yet here, old one._" He gazed back at the crystal ball. "_You speak to an apparition._"

"An… apparition?" Hiruzen frowned slightly, a look of confusion weaved onto his face. "As in… an illusion of sorts?"

"_Call it a projection, if you wish,_" the mage spoke, still focusing on the visage of his student in the ball. "_My other students – Naruto's new siblings – will arrive shortly. One already trudges through your streets seeking his brother. While you have allowed us all re-entry into your village, I am wise enough to know that appearing now will only cause more death and destruction,_" he said with conviction. "_I shall wait until my students prove themselves able members of your little village until I make my reappearance._" He looked back at Hiruzen. "_Now that we have reached that matter, I have told each of them to showcase the respect expected of them in your presence. They still have… _some_ difficulty pronouncing most titles, but their actions will speak louder than their words. You may make use of them however you see fit – their skills are vast and their magics are far above the norm. They will serve this village well – especially Naruto._"

"That much was apparent with the first words he spoke to me," Hiruzen smiled. "His skill has indeed grown far beyond his age group in this village."

"_It is far beyond his age group in general,_" Archos spoke as he gazed out of one of the windows. "_He has shown some degree of mastery over all four basic elemental magics, with surprising skill in fire and wind. Apart from that he has also started dabbling in lightning and steel, and his crafting and conjuration surpasses each of his siblings, save one in a certain field._" This time it was definite – there _was_ pride in the old mage's voice. "_He has adapted to life as a hybrid shockingly well._" He looked back at Hiruzen with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "_I also wish to offer you a suggestion, aged one._"

"A suggestion?" Hiruzen frowned as he thought. "Suggestion about what?"

"_Naruto has stated his intent to assist this village many times during our travels. I would have put forced some kind of restraint on him, but the chatter made his sister smile, so I allowed it,_" he spoke firmly. "_One night he started chattering again – and reached a topic that somehow piqued my curiosity._" This had Hiruzen's undivided attention. He had a feeling he _knew_ where this conversation was going.

"_Likely be it that I have found the perfect solution to that intent,_" the mage spoke confidently.

* * *

To say that Hanabi Hyūga was having a disappointing day would be an understatement, to be honest.

After yet another gruelling training session overseen by her father, Hiashi had seen fit to take him with her on one of his little errands across the village – he hardly even gave her chance to rest. It was a tad unexpected, honestly, but it wasn't particularly surprising. She would follow him silently and obediently to his destination, answer any questions her father's associates would ask her with respect and poise, and then silently and obediently follow him back to the compound. Typical stuff.

That was the plan, anyway. Much to her dismay, she and her father got separated a while back and, despite the fact that she had activated her Byakugan more than once already, she simply could not find him.

She wasn't _lost_, really – young heiresses never got lost, especially not with the Byakugan at their disposal. No, she wasn't' lost at all – she knew the path back to the Hyūga compound after all. It was what came _after_ that made her nervous. If she headed back there now her father would spend all day looking for her, and when he returned and found her sitting there waiting as though nothing happened… She preferred not to think about that particular outcome. And so she had dedicated most of her train of thought to finding her father.

The little girl was so deep in thought that she didn't even realize the ground around her shaking.

Neither did she realize all the civilians around her standing with their mouths agape and their eyes wide with terror and awe.

Nor did she realize that several ANBU littered the rooftops around her with their hands on their blades, ready to attack at a moment's notice.

Her mind only registered something was amiss when she realized she was standing in what could pass as a _sea_ of shade. Something behind her cast a shadow far, _far_ before her. She gulped slightly – the sun wasn't _that_ low in the sky yet; no normal person could have such a shadow. Slowly, carefully, the little Hyūga turned around… and came face to face with a steel plate. _Huh_? A frown flitted across her young face as she thought. _That can't be right_… She started walking backwards, both with curiosity and a shred of fear, and when she reached two steps she saw a boot – a _big_ boot, with the tip covered in macabre spikes. At that moment, fear started racing through her little heart when she realized the plate of steel she was looking at was a shin guard. Breaking into a cold sweat, she looked up.

And up. And up.

And then, a small, almost inaudible moan of terror escaped her lips.

The man – at least she _thought_ it was a man – was _huge_. No, _huge_ was an understatement – this beast stood almost _double_ her father's height!And she could fit _two_ men of her father's size between his shoulders! And there would _still_ be some space left!

Panic started to set in as Hanabi started to take in the monstrous man's details. His muscles were so massive, so bulging and so knotted they were bordering on the line between scary and downright _grotesque. _A silver belt buckle embroidered with the skull of… _something_ weird and scary allowed two thick, spiky chains to drape across his thighs, and the shin guards she mistook as steel plates were topped with knee-guards stained with dry blood. A helmet – at least, what _looked_ like a helmet – hung from a hook on his belt, and with ever growing fear she realized said helmet had been fashioned from some poor dead creature's skull – it even had horns; _scary_ horns. A black muscle shirt clung to the man's tree-like torso, a brown leather harness forming an X across his chest. The harness itself seemed to hold two shoulder plates in place – two shoulder plates that, for all intents and purposes, seemed to be lined with rows of sharp spikes. She felt herself start to tremble – if they were just _half a foot_ smaller Hinata could use one as a _breastplate_ someday. When she was bigger, that was.

Add to all that the fact that there were _spikes and bolts_ seemingly sewn into the man's knuckles and Hanabi found herself on the verge of wetting herself there and then. The man was a _monster_!

Then he looked down at her. Their eyes met, his face hidden by shadows, and he smiled slightly when he saw the look on her face. Slowly, one of his great boots lifted, and Hanabi slammed her eyes shut – was the man going to step on her?! She'd die!

Then she felt the ground around her shake. She frowned slightly – she wasn't _so_ small that he'd miss if he tried to step on her… Did he? She slowly opened one eye, still a tad fearful of the titanic person before her, and much to her shock she found that his silver belt buckle was just a bit above her eye level. In shock, she opened her other eye and looked up to find the man on one knee before her. "You lost, kiddo?" He asked with a booming voice. His face was clear now. His hair was close-cropped and dark, and he had a _lot_ of scars on his wide face. The two most prominent ones were two deep gashes that ran diagonally across his face.

Hanabi shook herself out of her stupor. Fear or no, she was _not_ lost! Young heiresses didn't get lost, dammit! "N-No…" She huffed slightly as she closed her eyes and looked down, earning a light chuckle from the man. "I… I got separated from my father. I need to find him." She said simply.

"Ah…" The gigantic man nodded in understanding. "Then your father's lost?" He smiled.

_Well, _that_ was an interesting way of putting it, _she thought as she momentarily forgot about the fear she was feeling seconds ago. She realized a smile was tugging at her lips. "That… That's right!" She beamed, a slight hint of excitement evident on her tiny face. "He got lost while we were walking back home and now I need to look for him… But I can't find him." She frowned slightly as she said the last part of the sentence. Then she looked back at the man, saw the scars on his face and the spikes on his shoulders, and felt a bit of fear creep into her heart again. She also mentally palmed her face at the way she acted. The Hyūga clan was known for its composure and poise – two things she let slip a few seconds ago.

"Need some help?" Hanabi blanched slightly at the man's offer. She looked at him again, and despite the ominous size and the intimidating scars on his face, she saw the man was smiling slightly, not a shred of harmful intent in his hazel eyes. "It looks like you've been looking for him for a while," he smiled at her. "You look tired. Want me to help you find him?" Hanabi looked at the man with a bit of apprehension. She was young, true, but she was not stupid – her father had told her repeatedly to stay away from strangers; they could kidnap her and steal her Byakugan, but…

She sighed. It _honestly_ didn't look like this man would hurt her. True, he was monstrously huge and could more than likely snap a few Main House members like twigs, but still. Despite his intimidating appearance he had a kind of warmth on his face as he spoke to her.

"I… I'd appreciate it," she spoke softly, still keeping her eyes on the ground as she heard the man chuckle. Poise be damned, she'd been looking for her father for almost three hours and she was tired now. Any help she could receive would be – _Huh_? Her eyes flew open as she felt something hovering over her head, and she looked up just in time to see the giant's open hand reach behind her back and grab the scruff of her neck between two fingers as though she was the tiniest thing he'd ever handled.

She had all of two seconds to comprehend this.

The next thing she knew, she had let out a squawk unbefitting of Hyūga demeanour as the giant hoisted her into the air as though she weighed literally nothing. The composure her clan was infamous for had left her entirely – her eyes were wide open, her mouth was agape and she was flailing about like a fish out of water as she tried to comprehend that ever-uncomfortable feeling of falling. She let out a loud squeak as she saw the giant was lifting her to his shoulder – and, by association, the large, ominous and oddly red-tinted spikes there. She tried bracing herself for the worst, constantly doubting whether she made a mistake in trusting the man – only to feel the man let go of the scruff of her shirt.

She almost screamed bloody murder if she didn't land on something hard and cold in a sitting position barely a second after the man 'dropped' her.

She realized she'd closed her eyes, and cautiously opened them – and came face to face with the length of one of the spikes. To her titanic relief she figured out she was _not_, as a matter of fact, impaled in a grotesque manner – instead she was sitting (rather comfortably) on the massive plate adorning the titan's right shoulder, with a single short spike protruding upwards from between her legs. She blinked a few times before looking down at the man's face – and _again,_ the sense of fear that gripped her dissipated when she realized that she was actually _looking down_ at someone almost double her father's height.

A feeling of giddiness erupted in her stomach as she tried her best to stop a goofy grin from spreading across her lips. She could see eye-to-eye with other villagers from up here; hell, she could see _over_ most villagers from here! After all the jokes about being 'short' and her height matching her temper she was finally taller than the rest and –

She shook her head wildly. She was supposed to have unlearned such thoughts by now. She was an heiress (hopefully) and a Hyūga; she needed to act the part, after all.

Yet despite her chiding thoughts, she was _still_ fighting a smile.

Her internal tirade made the giant laugh as he looked up at her with a grin. "Sit tight, little miss," he spoke – and Hanabi yelped and grabbed hold of the spike as he rose to his full height.

She failed. She utterly, truly, _fantastically_ failed. She had been steeling herself since she took a seat on the titanic man's shoulder. She told herself Hyūgas were_ always_ calm, composed and stone-faced, just as the village had credited them. She rarely showed any form of excitement or giddiness, instead opting to practice the impassive look on her father's face and wearing it on her face whenever she left the compound. She often talked down to those who approached her, just as her family did in general, and because of that she was often met with humble attitudes, no matter who she was talking to.

And yet despite this all, when the titan rose to his feet that ever-odd feeling of her stomach dropping as he stood made a _very_ uncharacteristic, _very_ girlish laugh flutter from her lips.

"So, which way, little miss?" The giant spoke as he started to walk. "Or do we just walk until we find him?"

"I think the latter's a good option," Hanabi spoke through pursed lips as she tried hiding her smile. "He could be anywhere." She looked around. Her father was still nowhere in sight, despite the fact that she was now sitting almost nine feet in the air. She had a feeling it was going to be quite a while before they found him. Her eyes widened suddenly – she'd forgotten something up until now. "Hey mister," she called as she looked down at him. "What's your name?" She asked. She suddenly remembered something her father had taught her – something about always giving your name first before asking someone else for theirs. "I'm Hanabi, by the way." She smiled. "Hanabi Hyūga."

"Hanabi, eh?" The giant grinned. "Call me Kahn. Just Kahn."

* * *

"So you _weren't_ kidnapped after all, huh…" Shikamaru frowned as he sat with his hands clasped. The ramen bowl before him was only half-empty, but he'd already lost half of his appetite.

"Not unless I've come down with some pretty deep Stockholm syndrome, no," Naruto spoke happily as he continued to consume ramen at a pace that even surprised Choji. Finally, after six years away, the young ninja-mage had been reunited with Ichiraku's. At first the old man, Teuchi, and his daughter Ayame treated Naruto like every other regular customer – until they saw his eyes. All it took was that and a rather pathetic explanation from the three ninjas around him, and the two cooks immediately put two and two together. Teuchi had seized Naruto in a bear hug that made the poor boy's ribs pop, while joyously cheering that Naruto had returned to them. Ayame, on the other hand, had burst into tears and dove at the boy with such speed it knocked him right off his chair.

"Still…" Shikamaru seemed deeply troubled as he thought. "Whatever happened back then left some deep impacts on the village, Naruto…"

"Deep impacts?" Naruto blinked at Shikamaru in confusion, several strands of ramen still hanging from his lips.

"_Very_ deep impacts," Ino spoke as she sat facing him. "There's been a split in the ANBU forces. One half believes that the people who died six years ago were casualties in an operation to retrieve you, and died in service to the village." She frowned as she reached the end of her sentence. "The other half thinks you're a monster who banded together with some 'demon wizard' to send the council a message by killing a few squads."

"Wow… Talk about a hate crush…" Naruto mused with a curious face, before a grin spread across his lips. "Is it safe to assume most people call bullshit on the bad half's story?"

"Yep," Choji quipped as he wolfed down his third bowl of ramen. "The 'Believers' have it bad. Nobody likes them, everyone ignores them, Hokage-sama looks down on them…"

"But for some reason," Shikamaru chipped in, "they haven't been relieved of duty. They're a minority now, but there are some scary folks in that half."

"Scary in the way of…?" Naruto had a look of interest on his face, accompanied by the same cocky grin he'd started to wear during his fight with the angry mob that attacked him.

"Hayate Gekko," Ino frowned slightly. "He was normally a tokubetsu Jonin before you left. The 'demon wizard' they're so stuck on apparently killed a few of his friends. He's turned into a real jerk – but he's good with a sword. He's so good he's even got my dad scared."

"The 'Believers' have been going on about you and your 'captor' ever since you left," Shikamaru sighed. "Nobody can do anything about them, either. Apart from lying about what happened six years ago, they still do their jobs. They're just a bit more… violent than normal." He sighed.

"That, and every now and then someone disappears," Choji mumbled through mouthfuls of ramen. "People say it's the Believers, but there's no proof."

"No proof?" _That_ revelation was a tad confusing to Naruto. He had encountered similar situations in his travels across the world, but the only time people never found any evidence about what happened was…

"Never found the bodies," Ino said dejectedly. _That explains it, _Naruto thought, his expression turning solid for a few moments. "There's _nothing_ left after they disappear," she continued. "Their apartments are cleaned out and nobody can find any witnesses."

"Why?" Naruto asked as he cleaned out his fifth bowl of ramen. "I mean, suppose this little sect of 'Believers' are responsible," he humoured the village's logic, "why the hell would they kidnap people?"

"They think there's a connection," Shikamaru said, glancing at Naruto. "They think other people know about whoever the troublesome person was who took you away from here."

"It gets really ridiculous sometimes," Ino huffed. "They even go after young academy graduates who use the whole 'demon wizard'-story to sound cool."

"Do _you_ guys believe the demon-wizard story?" Naruto grinned as he started on his sixth bowl. "After what you just saw?"

"I believe whoever took you away trained you," Shikamaru spoke as he crossed his arms over the table. "I don't know if it was a powerful ninja or a real wizard, but whoever it was certainly wasn't a demon," he grumbled as he eyed the young ninja-mage. "You _look _a lot different… but there's nothing demonic about you. You're still as much of an idiot as you were six years ago. You're just stronger," he grumbled.

"Agreed," Choji spoke through another mouthful as Naruto laughed loudly.

"I think this is the most I've heard you speak, Shikamaru," Naruto grinned. "And you almost attacked me back there. _Someone's_ whipped a bit of shape into you," he smiled. Then he glanced at Ino… and back to Shikamaru. "Could it be that… You two…" He barely suppressed a grin as he looked between the two, inwardly laughing at the disdainful frown on Shikamaru's face and the utterly mortified look Ino was displaying.

"_Gross!_ W-Why would I… Eew!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Naruto…"

The reactions were, in his own opinion, absolutely priceless. Between Ino's rampant denial and rants about 'laziness' and 'Sasuke-kun', and Shikamaru's constant frowning and sighs of 'troublesome' and 'women', he was really struggling to keep himself from laughing out loud. No matter which land he found himself in, you could always stir up some kind of classic response by hinting at romance where there's obviously none. True, sometimes said reactions differed greatly.

And true, sometimes said reactions left him with a bright red palm print on his cheek. But it was worth it. To him, there was nothing funnier than seeing someone lose composure. That went doubly when the person losing said composure is normally a stone-faced bastard.

He wondered if that Uchiha boy was still around. _That_ would result in a field day for him.

"…C-Can't believe you'd think that…" Ino muttered with a frown, snapping Naruto out of his thoughts. "Shikamaru is my teammate – nothing more."

"Teammate?" Naruto paused. "What do you… Oh." He saw the forehead protector around Ino's waist, currently doing double duty as some kind of weird belt. "Shit," he sighed as he glanced at Shikamaru and Choji, seeing the former's protector wrapped around his arm and the latter's planted right on his forehead. "…How the _hell_ did I miss those?"

"Because the only thing about you that's different is your looks?"

"And my skills. And my – Oi!" Naruto's cocky grin quickly turned into a frown when he finally realized what Shikamaru's offhanded statement really meant. He could see the briefest of smirks on the Nara's face, and he heard Ino and Choji laughing behind him. Unconsciously, a smile broke onto his face – in all honesty, theirs was the kind of behaviour he'd come to appreciate over the years. Archos had _never_ pushed them far enough to branch the gap to becoming psychotic, but his emotional training was harsh nonetheless. It made him feel… _happy_ to be away from the constant war and strife he and his new 'family' faced in the outer lands.

"Back to the topic, though," Shikamaru muttered as he glanced at Naruto with a half-serious, half-indifferent demeanour. "The man you left with – is he really a wizard?"

"Pffft. Wizard," Naruto scoffed. "Can you even hear yourself?"

"I know it sounds ridiculous," Ino chose this time to speak up, "but I heard my dad talking to other people at times and he said the remains of fifty-five ANBU were found not far from the village," she said ruefully. "He said the fire was purple…" She trailed off, looking a bit sick for a moment. "He also said that there were… hardly any bodies left." She was turning a bit pale as she spoke. "Just chunks of coal and bones."

"He told me he did that," Naruto nodded solemnly. He had learned long ago that the ANBU sent to retrieve him were only carrying out their orders, and while he was overjoyed that Archos had granted him the knowledge and power he had now, he still regretted that they died. "It's… It's one of the things I regret the most," he said. "Even if they didn't exactly lend a hand when I was younger, they didn't need to die." He frowned. True, he acted indifferently when Archos first told him about how he destroyed the ninjas sent after him. After all, they just stood by and watched as he got the snot beat out of him when he was younger. He _honestly_ tried telling himself that they got what they deserved… but he could never truly bring himself to believe that – _especially_ after he had his little episode when he took his first life. And to make matters worse… He also found out how hellfire _really_ worked.

Needless to say, it became one of the greatest regrets of his life.

He swore to himself that he'd fight with every fibre in his being to avert such a tragedy again. Even if it meant standing against Archos himself, he'd regard the sanctity of life with every ounce of care and compassion the Undying Warlock had taught him to display. He knew that there were some people who simply needed to die, yes… But that didn't mean everyone who stood against you needed to die as well.

That was the very first lesson Archos had ever taught him: _Just because one would fight against you, do not assume one must die. Do not stoop to my levels, disciple; do not fall to my depths of disgrace. I have lost faith – you have not. Remember that._

Naruto made a mental note to visit the Memorial Stone – as soon as humanly possible. Even if the Undying Warlock was incapable of feeling regret for his actions, Naruto was not… and he'd make sure he showed it.

For now, however, it would be best if he kept his childishness exaggerated. If only _slightly_.

"He's still not a wizard," Naruto said after a few moments of silence, donning a grin that he hoped would put the trio of ninjas at ease. "Wizards are lame. I saw a few of them during my travels," he chuckled.

"…Are you for real?" Shikamaru looked _very_ sceptical. "…I can't tell if you're joking or not… This is troublesome…"

"I saw a _lot_ of 'troublesome' stuff during my travels, Shika," Naruto said, grinning. "I'll tell you all about them later. For now, just know that some of the fairytales you've heard are _not_ just 'tales'," he chuckled. "Well, _most_ of them aren't tales. I learned _that_ the humiliating way…" He frowned, though the effect of it was lost – he still had an odd grin on his face. Honestly, the memories of his hunt for the tooth fairy were still ridiculous enough to make him laugh at himself.

"Really now…" Shikamaru sighed. "I'm almost afraid to ask how…"

Naruto was on the verge of answering – in all seriousness, he might add – when four blurs shot past the ramen stand. Normally he'd ignore something like that – after all, if he tensed up and got worried every time a blur shot past him he wouldn't have slept _at all_ in the past six years. This time, however, something else caught his attention. Archos had tried to teach him about reading a person's aura – the old arch-mage had said something about one's emotion's betraying one's body and displaying one's soul to whoever was capable of reading the invisible messages.

Granted, that attempt _could_ most likely be considered one of the Undying Warlock's greater failures, but still, there was a _bit_ of success in the lesson – even if it was minor.

Base emotions and feelings, complex as they were, were not impossible to catch if Naruto put his mind to it, really. He _was_ catastrophically bad at the practice, and even his Master, the Undying Warlock himself, had given up on the practice after the fourth week of no results, but Naruto could still catch a glimpse of what was troubling someone, no matter how small it was. And despite the fact that the four individuals who had just sped past him were at his side for less than a _fraction_ of a second, Naruto caught wind of three rampant words that formed in his consciousness as the figures sped off: 'Scroll', 'Stolen', and 'Traitor'.

Almost the minute he comprehended those three words, he knew what would be happening – no matter what happened now, the shit was going to hit the fan; possibly so hard the fan itself would break.

His reaction was almost instantaneous: he reached into his ornate coat and pulled out a stack of bills, earning curious looks from the three ninjas surrounding him. "This one's on me, guys," he said with a smile as he put the money on the table. He saw all three of the ninjas' mouths fall open as they realized exactly _how_ much he was paying old man Teuchi. "What?" He asked, quickly doing his best to feign surprise at their reactions. "I owe the old man a lot for the past," he said as he stood up. "Now! I need to get going," he said with a grin.

"Wha… Where?" Ino had a look of confusion on her face – it fit almost perfectly with the thoughtful gaze on Shikamaru's face and the curious little frown on Choji's face. "Was it… Does it have something to do with the ANBU who just ran by?"

"Yup!" Naruto wore a smile that was _far_ too cheerful for the situation he was heading into – especially concerning the ANBU's opinion of him. "But I'm not going after the ANBU," he stated matter-of-factly as he picked up the steel carrying case he'd brought into the village. "I'm going to an opportunity!" He grinned. The confusion and suspicion wafting off the ANBU who shot past him proved as much; this _was_ an opportunity – an opportunity to get back on good terms with some of the authorities.

"Well, I'll be seeing you guys," he said with a smile and a wave as he set off in the ANBU's general direction. "Opportunities in this village are rare for people like me." He turned tail and walked off after leaving them with that last comment. True, he was joking – he _was _looking the part of a foreigner – but as soon as he said 'people like me' a dark look of pity and sympathy quickly flashed across all three ninjas' faces.

Almost as if they _knew_.

* * *

From her spot in the shadows, hidden from all eyes near the gate of Konohagakure, Yūgao Uzuki sat with an utterly defeated look on her face. Who would have thought… After six years of strife and turmoil, after six years of doubt and sorrow, after six years of constant fighting with the ones she had formerly called friends and lovers, everything she had thought to be impossible, childish, and disrespectful to her fallen friends – everything she outright refused to believe in had been proven true.

She remembered how she had been summoned to the Hokage's office scarcely two hours prior. It was the oddest request – normally ANBU were summoned in teams for whatever task he would assign them, but for some odd reason he had requested that she come alone. The note said he had a task for her regarding a group of foreigners approaching the village, and that she was only person he would entrust it with. Those few words were enough to stir her curiosity enough to make her just a _tad_ excited about her mission.

Then she recalled the minute she entered the office – and the minute her excitement and curiosity dissipated almost instantly.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

She was losing her composure – she was certain of it. Her arms were flailing slightly, stuck between the action of reaching for her weapon, retreating to her sides and rising in apprehension and shock. It must have looked ridiculous, but she was _far_ too shocked to care at the moment. One sight had brought her entire world down around her. One sight was all it took – her mind flew in every direction, a mess of fear, shock and despair that she struggled to recollect as her heart hammered in her chest and her breathing became ragged under her porcelain mask.

_This _cannot_ be right_… The thought echoed in her mind, reverberated off her skull and shook her to the core of her soul. _It… It __**can't**__be!_

There, in front of her, clad in ornate black robes that seemed to drift around him and talons of fabric that hung from a large hood and sharp shoulder mantles, stood a being that had taken her views of the events of six years ago and _crushed_ them underfoot. Her breath caught in her throat when her eyes locked with the crimson orbs and golden pupils hidden by the shadows of a hood and the wall of a pure white ivory mask, and for the first time in years she felt herself start to quiver.

Hayate was right. The 'Believers' were right.

The Undying Warlock was real. The 'Harbinger of Shadow' was real – and he was standing _right in front of her_.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Her mind was still in shambles as she sat waiting. It all felt so surreal, it was as though she had dreamed the entire encounter. The Third had become worried about her within _seconds_, even going as far as to order her to take a seat before she even had the opportunity to _feel_ a collapse approaching. It simply _could not be_. The 'Believers' spewed stories about a robed man who came to the village and stole the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox – that much had been believable, yes, but afterwards… The stories they made up were so ridiculous the only option she had left was disbelief.

She refused to believe almost everything they told her. She refused to believe that a 'dark being who spoke with authority' had created the tailed beasts as a way to destroy all ninjas when the time came. She refused to believe that a 'being cloaked in shadow' had the might to erase someone from existence entirely. She refused to believe it when Hayate had told her that same being was responsible for the fire six years ago, and she sure as hell refused to believe it when Hayate had become adamant about hunting him. She had, in a way, coerced herself into believing that this 'demon wizard' the scant few ANBU fanatics believed in was nothing but a myth, a genjutsu engineered by a powerful missing-nin, perhaps.

And now, despite her disbelief, she had _just_ met with him. She even spoke to him!

He was every bit as cold as Hayate made him out to be. He was frank, to the point, and often spoke his mind – insults not withheld at that. When she had asked him if he really was responsible for the deaths of the ANBU six years ago, he replied that, while it was a pity that they died, they _were_ given a warning and they chose not to heed it. That alone sent shivers down her spine. She remembered what he had said when she asked him if he regretted their deaths. '_My dear, I am long past the age of regretting the deaths my hand deals.'_

The Third wasn't as nervous as he was six years ago, either. After Naruto left the old Hokage had fallen into a great depression – it was so severe that Danzo Shimura had taken over as Hokage for two years while the Third tried to come to terms with his failure. But now… Now the Hokage seemed to have some form of respect for the robed being, and – although so slight you had to squint to see it – the being returned it in kind. There was still a lot of unseen animosity between the two – enough to almost make her choke when she stepped closer – but for some reason, they were working together, and her task was tied directly to that.

If she was shocked to learn that the robed man had students, then the words 'absolutely stunned' could be the only ones capable of summarizing her reaction when she found out Naruto Uzumaki was one of them. She'd been given a basic rundown – the Undying Warlock's name was Archos, and he was an arch-mage. That information had been given to her right off the bat, and she _still _needed a few minutes to entirely comprehend that a mages were real. The fact that this 'Archos' being proved that by turning her mask into water without even looking at her didn't help in the least.

She very nearly had a panic attack following that event. Her composure all but left her when the water that was once her mask splashed down onto her body, leaving her face open for both men to see. She remembered everything vividly - her breathing becoming rugged, how she buried her face in her hands in an attempt to collect her thoughts and calm herself, and how she kept thinking back to Hayate and all the other fanatics who kept telling her that she was a fool for refusing to believe.

She lost a lot of friends because of that disbelief. She lost Hayate because of it as well.

And now she found out _she_ had been the one who was wrong.

'_Uzuki-san… I know this is a lot to take in. But you have proven yourself to be one of the most loyal ninja I have under my command. You have excelled in each task given to you, and despite the loss of your friends you continued to strive for what was right. Despite your affection for Hayate Gekko, you _still_ stood against him when his rage became too much. You were forced to make a choice between him and this village, and you chose the latter. Uzuki-san, you are one of the few people I trust to undertake this mission.'_

The Third's words still rang in her head. That little speech had managed to calm her down considerably – her breathing didn't stabilize until she left the room, and even now, while awaiting the people she was charged with escorting, she still felt a shiver flit across her body. But her fears had mostly dissipated. Despite her disbelief in the situation, in the stead of doubts she now held stone-faced determination, and that was all thanks to the Undying Warlock – and she only noticed _that_ after she left the office.

Archos, as he was called, had been _very_ verbal about his doubts in her. He called her a 'child' when he saw she trembled in his presence and had told the Hokage – with no minced words – that he doubted she could even keep one civilian at bay, let alone a mob. He had called her katana a 'toy' and scoffed when the Third said that she was one of the most capable ninja in the ANBU ranks. It _infuriated_ her – she had lost so much and pushed through so many trials, and this stranger had dismissed all of it!

Looking back at those words, she snorted as she sat in the shadows. She could not believe she fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book. She remembered the mirth in both men's eyes as she stood up, still trembling as though she'd just been caught in a blizzard, and knelt with a determined look in her eyes. She noticed the slight smile on the Third's face when she professed her ambition to undertake any task the Hokage would give her, but she was far too angry to make anything of it.

In hindsight it was probably one of her more shameful moments. Going from shocked to fearful, back to shock and then straight to anger was probably something no self-respecting ANBU would tolerate of themselves. But given the event that triggered it, she had decided a while ago that it was a reaction she'd allow herself. That, and that her reaction should be considered something akin to an S-class secret – she would _never_ live it down if her comrades and superiors found out that one man in a robe had sent her from 'elite ninja' to 'trembling child' in less than a second.

She couldn't help but shiver when the thought of that Mitarashi woman finding out crossed her mind. True, they didn't interact often, but knowing the rumours about her, the woman would _never_ let it go. Ever.

She frowned as she stood up. The two people she was supposed to meet at the gate had yet to arrive, and the fact that her 'task' was basically glorified guard duty for one of them didn't exactly ease her frustrations. Two foreigners would arrive soon – one man and one young woman. The Hokage had tasked her with escorting the woman and keeping her safe – according to the mage, the girl's 'heart was too frail and too big to harden' and because of that, she didn't have the same confidence or calm demeanour the man would have. According to him, the girl's powers were some of the most dangerous in the group, and because of that she absolutely _did not_ fight back against anyone unless pushed to do so. This meant she'd likely react poorly to any attempts to move on her due to her association with the 'demon wizard'.

It seemed unlikely, yes, but she knew better. She had already watched a charming young boy – who, much to her initial shock, was revealed to be Naruto Uzumaki – fend off a mob of haters and fanatics, and the only reason the _other_ foreigner hadn't been attacked yet was because he was chaperoning Hanabi Hyūga.

The fact that said foreigner stood but a couple of inches short of nine feet tall probably helped as well.

She skulked over to the gate, leaning against one of the open wooden doors and ignoring the stares she was getting from the few villagers in the area. She felt a bit bare without her mask, but the Hokage had told her that her charge would arrive any minute, so time was of the essence. More than two hours had passed since then, and there was still no sign of them. Her brow twitched slightly, a ghost of a frown etched onto her face. Her irritation was becoming more visible by the minute, but she didn't care. She'd already had her ANBU composure shattered once today. She wasn't even going to bother rebuilding it.

Finally, she caught sight of the two as they approached the village. The girl wasn't exactly blending in – her deep blue hair was tied into a ponytail, with her fringe tucked aside behind her ear. Yūgao felt one of her eyebrows raise when she saw the girl's skin – it was so pale it actually made her worry slightly. The girl seemed sick from afar. That skin tone was almost unnatural. It was a bit more difficult to measure the man beside her – the mess of black hair that framed his face and cascaded down his back cast darkness across his features.

She sighed and closed her eyes. If the girl was sickly, this task would be a _lot _more difficult than she first anticipated. Maybe the mage's words were meant literally? That would explain a lot. If she was sick, that would also explain the fact that she had been waiting for almost two hours now. She had travelled with sick people before – there were a lot more stops than normal when one of them tagged along.

She opened her eyes when she could hear their voices, and was taken aback for a second. Despite the young woman's pale complexion she seemed to be in peak condition. Granted, she was rather short, and it seemed her body had yet to mature, but she was hardly skin and bone. The rest was difficult to figure out – the girl wore a long-sleeved navy shirt and a brown sleeveless jacket to accompany the beige cargo pants and dark, knee-high boots. If it weren't for the blue hair and pale white skin, she'd seem like a complete commoner.

Yūgao was about to turn her gaze toward the man, but she caught sight of the young woman's face before she got the opportunity. To her own intrigue – and caution, at that - she realized the young woman's skin wasn't the only unnatural thing about her. Despite the soft facial features, there was something unnerving about the young woman's eyes. She'd seen the variant before – eyes devoid of pupils were a characteristic you'd find damn near everywhere in the Hyūga clan. What differed this time around was the colour – where the Hyūga clan's eyes were deathly pale, this girl's eyes were a bright shade of blue, a sharp contrast to the dark hue of her hair. Yūgao made a note to be wary of those eyes – she'd seen enough exotic eyes in her life to be wary of the possibility of a Dōjutsu.

A harsh laugh drew her attention to the man beside the young woman. He seemed to be her polar opposite – where the girl seemed introverted and kind, this man radiated a confidence bordering on arrogance and his rugged face seemed to be stuck in a constant cocky grin. Stubble dominated the lower half of his face, and despite the makings of rings under his eyes, the golden irises radiated life. Despite looking to be in his mid-forties, the man was built as muscular as any younger man was – and the dark muscle shirt he was wearing meant he certainly wasn't averse to showing it.

Although his attire was just as casual as the woman's, the man stood out far more. An ornate bronze gauntlet adorned each hand and reached up to his elbows; oddly, the right one was fingerless. Two short swords, one blue and gold, the other orange and black, hung on his left hip and a custom bow hung on his back in the standard manner. Yūgao found herself puzzled when she realized that, despite the expensive bow, there wasn't a quiver anywhere on him.

"Can't believe you're _laughing _at those poor people…" The woman sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "They're suffering and you're _joking_ about it…"

"Ain't my fault they don't have the sense to run for help," the man shrugged as he dug his hands into the pockets of the dark denim pants he wore. "It's not like that short shit is keeping tabs on 'em twenty-four seven, is it? 'Sides, they're the ones who don't _want_ help."

"You're crude," the woman sighed. "They're obviously hopeless, Borgia."

"Then let 'em stay that way. You saw what happened – we offered to help and they laughed at us. So fuck 'em," the man – Borgia, as Yūgao had just found out – said with an uncaring tone. Then the man's golden eyes locked with Yūgao's own. "Watch out… We're getting glared at," he said with a feral grin. "Try not to start shaking, Saf…"

"Oh, _shut up_," the young woman sighed. Yūgao hadn't realized she hadn't fixed her frown yet – in an instant her face was as cold and impassive as it had been before meeting with the Hokage. These two were definitely the arch-mage's students; blue-haired young woman and arrogant archer, just as the dark man had said. With a slight sigh, she stood up and walked over to the two foreigners, inwardly cursing being put on guard duty.

As she approached the two, she saw a brief flicker of worry on the young woman's face. "Are you two with Naruto Uzumaki?" She said softly, hoping to keep the few villagers in the area in the dark about their visitor.

"Naruto?" The man, Borgia, raised a brow. "And here he told us he'd be stealthy," he said with a sigh. "Yeah, yeah, we're with him. Who'd he kidnap this time? Another princess?" He asked with a discomfortingly serious tone. "Jus' so you know, we don't have anything to do with that. Well, _I_ don't. Dunno about her," he said with a chuckle as he pointed to the woman beside him, receiving a light-hearted slap on the stomach from her.

"Shut it already," she sighed as she looked at Yūgao. "Did we do something wrong?" A slightly hopeless frown situated on her face. "Or was it something Naruto did again?"

Yūgao raised an eyebrow. "He _did_ stir something, yes…" She paused when the blue-haired girl palmed her face. "But it's been dealt with. He's been declared innocent and his attackers are being treated as we speak. I'm here for a different -"

"Did he leave any victims for me?"

For just a _moment_ Yūgao felt her jaw slacken slightly at the wild man's question. "Uh… No?" She answered with a slightly puzzled look.

"Bastard," Borgia muttered under his breath as he started to walk past her. "Say, which way's the bar?"

"Seriously?" Yūgao's attention returned to the young woman when she let out an exasperated sigh. "Naruto's been attacked and you want to get _drunk_?"

"I want to get _tipsy_," the man corrected. "I don't do drunk. 'Sides, the kid's big enough to look after his own arse. There you just heard, he kicked the shit out of a bunch of attackers. Stop worrying, Saf." He looked back at Yūgao. "You said something about 'different'?"

"My task," She answered, switching her gaze between the aloof old man and the worrying young woman. "I've been instructed to be your guard and guide in this village. I…" She trailed off when the man started laughing harshly.

"_Guard_ us?" He asked her. "Guard _her_, you mean. She's a sensitive little thing, bless her heart," he said with a grin, ignoring the faint blush on the blue-haired woman's face and the indignant 'Hey!' his comment earned him. "Poor girl might just faint if someone looks at her too harshly."

"Actually, your teacher was fairly insistent that I look over you both," Yūgao tried to speak again, only to have the man laugh at her once more. It annoyed her when she realized the laugh wasn't forced – it was genuine.

"You're real funny," he said with a grin as he took a few steps away from her and the blue-haired woman. "Just point me to a bar and consider yourself off duty."

"_Please_," the woman concurred. "Just send him off. It's better for your sanity. He _will not_ stop complaining if you start hounding him."

Yūgao regarded the man with curiosity. Hokage-sama's orders were very specific, but… "_Leave him be then, girl. He is a capable man."_ She jumped as she heard the cold, monotone voice in her head. _No way. __**No. Way.**_ She shook her head slightly. There was absolutely _no way_ that the mage was a telepath. It just _could not _be.

"Master just spoke to you, didn't he?"

Yūgao could _hear_ the shit-eating grin on the man's face. How he knew she'd just heard the mage's voice was a wonder in its own – she'd make sure to question it later. For now she just fixed a glare at the wild man Borgia, whose grin just seemed to grow when he saw it. "So what did he say? Am I off the hook? Or do you have me by the leash now?" She was tempted to say it was the latter. Unfortunately, she considered herself far too professional to go through with it.

"He said I should 'leave you be'," she said in an agitated manner. "Follow the path in front of you, take the third left and head straight until you see either a large sign with sake on it, or a bunch of drunkards. That's the bar."

"Good lass," Borgia grinned in a haughty manner. "Must say they teach you good here. I wonder what they feed you…" He chuckled as the sounds of Yūgao's gritting teeth became audible for a scant second. "Well I'm off. Try not to _fall_, Saf," he chuckled as the blue-haired woman frowned at him. "And try not to accidentally seduce anyone, please? Last thing I need is some idiot following us around until I kill him." With that, he turned and walked off.

"…Was he serious?" Yūgao asked warily as she turned back to the exasperated woman beside her.

"Yep," the woman mumbled her reply. "I'm afraid he is. He didn't _kill_ the last one, though… Just took off a leg."

"He seems dangerous," Yūgao muttered as she turned back to her charge. "You called him Borgia? That's an odd name."

"It's his surname," the woman said as she started to walk, prompting Yūgao to follow. "He insists that people call him by it. It's got to do with honour and respect. The rest… Well, he _is_ like a brother to me. I respect him too much to say anything more. If you really want to know the story, you'll have to get to know him."

"I'll pass," Yūgao sighed. "He seemed like a… barely bearable person." She chose her words carefully.

"I think 'asshole' is a more appropriate word," the woman chuckled. "It's rare for him to warm up to someone. Even _more _rare for him to find someone he 'likes' from the get-go. He's not exactly _rude_, per se, but he's not going to uncork the friendliness upon the first conversation. He's not going to keep a lid on the sarcasm either," she muttered. "I'm Safaia, by the way." She smiled. "You can just call me Saf," she said as she extended her hand.

_Safaia?_ Yūgao pondered for a moment, wondering where such an odd name would come from. She quickly shook the thoughts away, though, settling with the idea that it was probably foreign. Gingerly, she shook Safaia's hand.

"Yūgao. Yūgao Uzuki."

* * *

Naruto grumbled as he skulked through the back alleys of Konoha. Honestly, he'd heard of situations getting messed up beyond all recognition, but what he'd just found out took the cake. What the _hell_ was that Uchiha boy _thinking_?!

He was pissed, to be brutally honest. Granted, he had been absolutely, mindlessly stupid quite a few times in the past (and if bad habits were even _half_ the bane people said they were, he would be again in the near future) but he _still_ could not entirely comprehend exactly _how the fuck_ things got as bad as they did. He had seen Sasuke Uchiha before he left – while he _did_ seem like someone who would take strength and the pursuit of it seriously, he did _not_ look the type to betray the village and steal a scroll so important it spurred the Hokage himself into action.

It simply _did not_ make sense - at all.

The fact that his ears wouldn't stop ringing wasn't helping. Honestly, he needed to stop augmenting his senses with magic. It _sucked_.

He sighed loudly as he tried to piece the whole scenario together. According to the ANBU he'd followed, the Scroll of Sealing – or something along those lines – was stolen less than an hour ago. The fact that it was done in broad daylight spelled either bravery or stupidity in Naruto's eyes – it was likely a mix of both. The culprit was what interested (and annoyed) Naruto the most; apparently it was none other than the last remaining Uchiha, Sasuke.

He _very_ nearly laughed out loud when he heard that part.

Either someone was imitating the guy perfectly, or Sasuke was suffering a massive lapse in judgement… and sanity. And common sense in general… But both cases warranted Naruto using his fists to rectify the problem, so at least _some_ good would come of it. Now the only problem was _finding_ the young loner. True, Naruto had gotten back on track with his ninja training – the water walking testified to that – but he still wasn't worth a hunter-nin's ass in that regard. Hell, he doubted his skills could even warrant Chunin rank. And seeing as he lacked skill in _that_ region, he'd have to make up for that with skill in the _other_ region.

He still didn't want to turn to magic, though - at least not yet. His flashier spells would make people shit themselves all over again, and despite half of his physical form being made of magic, it was still an absolute bitch to augment his senses. As such he found himself aimlessly wandering the back-alleys of the village, hoping to get an epiphany and figure out how crap would work out.

"I assume you heard of the Uchiha… Naruto-san."

_Shit_. Naruto sighed as he turned to face his new visitor, plastering his most practiced careless smile on his face. "Yeah, I heard. What's it to ya? Is that a massive secret as well?" He grinned as he studied his stalker, and raised a brow at the man's general appearance. He was wearing what seemed to be a _heavily_ altered ANBU robe. The hood was there, but the rest resembled a longcoat more than anything – a sleeveless longcoat at that. Other than that and the blank, black mask, however, the ninja attire was normal – the dark blue jumpsuit, the green flak jacket, the iron forearm guards and the standard ninja sandals made him seem relatively normal. Naruto _could_ deduce the man was skilled though – despite the odd cough that would escape the mouth behind the mask, the katana strapped across his back said he wasn't some sickly old idiot.

"You won't find him here," the man said as he gazed at Naruto. "He's in the forest."

"…And you'd know that, _how_, exactly?" Naruto asked dubiously. "Hell, if you know then there's probably a squad of guys on their way there alr-"

"There isn't," the man interrupted. "Trust me, I've checked. Nobody knows they're there, and I'm not going to risk telling anyone," he grunted as he looked around. "I've been… under scrutiny for a while now. People hate me enough – they'd believe I was in on the theft as well."

"Okay… Well, that sucks, dude." Naruto eyed the man sceptically. "But why tell _me_?"

"Because you don't believe Sasuke Uchiha is a traitor," the man said simply. "And you're correct. He's being manipulated. An academy teacher named Mizuki has been making certain inquiries as of late. He's been asking around about secrets of the Uchiha clan, and info about the massacre four years ago – and recently, someone made the mistake of telling him what he wanted to know." Naruto could almost _see_ the man frowning behind his mask. "The person who told him… won't be appearing anymore. But if there's anyone capable of manipulating Sasuke into doing something like this, it's Mizuki – especially with the info he has on the Uchiha clan and its bloodline abilities."

"Wait, wait, wait… what massacre?" Naruto asked.

"Sasuke Uchiha was the sole survivor of the massacre of the Uchiha clan," the man spoke bitterly. "I won't tell you more. It's not my place."

"I'd be kicking the crap out of you right now if you _did_ tell me," Naruto sighed as he ran his hand down his face. _This_ complicated matters. "Stuff like that isn't something just anyone should go around babbling about," he said, and saw the man nod slightly in approval. "Thanks for the info, dude. If you ever need any help, I'm your guy. I owe you a favour for this," he said with a smile as he prepared to take to the rooftops.

"Uzumaki-san," the masked man spoke up again, stopping Naruto. There was a serious edge to the man's tone. "I'm telling you this because, despite not knowing you, I trust you," he said sternly. "I lost everything – most of it six years ago, the rest in the years after it. If Sasuke Uchiha is found with that scroll, the same will happen to him. It's something I wouldn't wish on him." Naruto's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the man. "I'm trying to avert another village-wide catastrophe, Uzumaki-san. I'm trying with every fibre in my being. I tell you this because I hope you'll try as well." And with that, the man disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto smirked. _Six years ago, eh? Might just need to be careful around him…_He thought as he took to the rooftops.

* * *

_Why me…? Why the _hell_ is it always me?!_

Naruto stood in the forest with a hopeless expression on his face. He hadn't been looking that long – twenty minutes was hardly an eon, but he was still getting more and more restless by the minute. If he didn't find Sasuke Uchiha soon, there'd be more than just a few repercussions. At least, he thought there'd be. He knew he'd lose his shit if it turned out that 'the last Uchiha' got off scot-free after something like this simply because he was 'the last Uchiha'. Gods, he hated when things like that happened.

Sadly, though, he was no closer to his goal than he was after leaving the black-masked ANBU and taking to the rooftops of the village. He leapt from tree to tree, kept his eyes and ears open – hell, he even sent pulses of wind outward in the hope that _someone_ would get pissed and inadvertently spike their chakra. Unfortunately today was just not Naruto's day. The forest was empty, there were _no_ traces of any ANBU or Jonin activity in sight, and Sasuke Uchiha was still as incognito as he was when heard the ANBU discuss the theft in the village.

This, of course, meant that Naruto would have to do the one thing he hated more than anything in his life – even more than harpies and banshees. He would need to augment his senses – again – and suffer the painful consequences of it – _again_.

He sighed dejectedly as he held the small photo in his hands. The black-masked ANBU had thrown a kunai after him with said photo attached to the handle – a small photo of Sasuke Uchiha in all his brooding glory.

_This is gonna suck_… Naruto thought irately as he started taking in the Uchiha's details. Young, black hair, fair skin, dark eyes, blue shirt, white arm-warmers… Those details would be enough. With a grunt, Naruto crumpled the photo and dropped it to the ground. Slowly, he started repeating the words in his mind, often struggling to find the correct word in the magic language to describe the boy, but after a minute of translating he had all the visuals down. Slowly, he sank to his knees and flared his hearing and smell. The spell instantly sent pangs of pain through his head, but he was content. He heard no breaths, no heartbeats, no footsteps and no sounds of fibres stretching against skin, and he smelled no person, no blood and no steel except that from his own large carrying case. Content with his assumption of being alone, he started his chant, bracing himself for the pain that would follow.

Gods, he absolutely _hated_ clairvoyance.

* * *

With a soft grunt, Anko Mitarashi swung the doors to the bar open with a tired look on her face. Anyone who had seen ninjas returning from missions in the past would have assumed that she had just finished a particularly tiring one, but they could not be further from the truth. In all honestly, Anko _wished_ she had a mission to do. She was bored out of her mind.

At least, she _was_ bored until she saw the foreign man sitting at the bar. Sure, ninja from other villages had come to the bar before, but this man didn't seem to be a part of said villages. He didn't even look as though he was born in the Elemental Nations – the custom bow and the two ornate arming swords resting beside him against the bar screamed that. There weren't many archers in the Elemental Nations, that much was certain. Kunai and shuriken were much quicker. She started to get excited when she saw the glares the man was getting. Maybe a fight would break out – at least _that_ would stop the boredom for a while.

She smirked as she started to walk towards the bar, taking in the man's features. A mess of jet-black hair hung down to between his shoulder blades, and the dim lighting in the room hid his face from view – at least from where she was. The man's attire was _very_ basic – black boots, denim pants, a scaly belt and a black muscle shirt that hugged a considerably toned figure. The man wasn't overly muscular, that much was certain – but his body _was_ in very good physical condition. The only thing odd about him was the bronze gauntlets he was wearing on his hands. Her smirk had evolved into a grin by the time she sat down next to him and ordered 'the regular' from the kindly bartender. "You look like a foreigner," she spoke, looking at the man. "This your first time here?"

"Nope. Not really - been here a lot of times." Her grin widened slightly at the sarcastic tone as the man turned to look at her. The golden irises threw her off slightly – she'd never seen such an eye colour before – but for some reason, there was _something_ about his face that made him seem a bit older than he really was. "I was just avoiding you all the times I was here. Boss told me to keep away from the brothels."

Anko snorted at the jab the man made at her attire. "You've got some guts there, y'know? Most people wouldn't be pushing their luck like that around me," she said as she plastered a sadistic smile onto her face.

"Tch," the foreign man shrugged as he looked at his drink, unfazed. "Then most people are pussies and _shouldn't_ push their luck around you."

Anko laughed at that. She didn't know why, but she could see herself getting along with this man. He certainly had the attitude – and if the two swords were anything to go by, he wasn't completely worthless. "I wouldn't say that so loud if I were you," she warned with a grin. "People here aren't very friendly when they get drunk."

"Aye, who _is_?" the man smirked as he downed the contents of his glass in one shot before beckoning to the bartender. "Don't have much to worry about, though," he said with the beginnings of a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Drunk arseholes can't fight for shit. It's all just a bunch of flailing and spinning and hoping to land a hit before puking."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you," Anko said with a chuckle. "This is a _ninja_ village, pal. It's not as clear-cut here. There are people here who can seriously fuck people up, even if they _are_ drunk," she said. "Besides, aren't you getting drunk as well?"

"No, I'm getting tipsy," the man smirked confidently. "I don't do the whole 'drunk' thing. Gods alone know why, but I just can't get smashed. Both a curse and a gift – 'specially in drinking games," he said with a grin. "Any idea why these losers are lookin' at me like I'm a sex offender?" He asked with a tired look as he glanced around. "Or are all you ninja sitting with sticks in the arse?"

"Excuse them," Anko sighed. "The people here aren't very friendly with foreigners. There was an incident six years ago – a foreigner killed a bunch of civvies and a lot of elite ninja, almost half their ranks at that," she said with a sombre tone as she eyed the people around her. "After that… Most foreigners get the evil-eye. Most of the other people here are glaring at the ones glaring at you, though," she said with a goofy grin. "That's a constant, right there."

"How the fuck does that work?" The man asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Story came loose round about four years ago," Anko murmured. "There used to be a kid here who… wasn't very well-liked. A real prankster," she smiled nonchalantly. "A few truths about his life came out."

"What truths?"

"Kid's life was made hell," Anko replied as she took a sip of her drink. "Glared at, yelled at, bullied, ripped off – you name it, they did it. Hell, there'd even be rare occasions when he'd get mobbed."

"…Where the _hell_ did that brat bring me…" The man sighed as he downed his drink again. "Honestly, I've seen enough of this shit while I was travelling the world," he groaned and ordered a refill. "Hate crimes, wars, murders, thefts… Gods, I thought this village would be _peaceful_."

Anko was about to answer when she noticed three men standing behind the foreign man. She frowned and reached for a kunai immediately – this scene had occurred a few times in the past, and each time the results were the same. "We couldn't help but overhear your conversation," one of the men, a Chunin who was, by her standards, useless, spoke with a deadly glare, flanked by four others, each brandishing a katana. "You're a foreigner… From outside the Elemental Nations… Not so?"

"The fuck are you asking? Didn't you just say you overheard us?" The foreign man asked sceptically, not even bothering to face the new visitor. "Are you scared of making a mistake or are you just fucking _deaf_?" His answer intensified the glare the man was giving him.

"Where were you six years ago?" He asked sternly, ignoring the foreigner's jibe as his hand went for the kunai pouch on his leg. "2nd of August."

"2nd of August, eh…" The foreign man looked up as he pondered his answer. "Oh yeah, I was here," he quipped. "Six houses down the street. Boy, I had some fun times there." He turned to face his visitor. "You don't remember? You were there, lad," he grinned. "Bingo night – the prize _was_ your mother, after all…"

It happened before Anko could even react to it – two glints flitted across her sight, one from the shinobi's kunai and the other from the bronzed gauntlet on the foreign man's hand, and before her hand could even wrap around her own weapon, the foreigner had the shinobi's wrist in a vice-like grip, an arrogant smirk on his face. The other four attackers scrambled to get into position and ready their blades – only to stop as several loud _crack_s echoed through the now silent room. The lead shinobi gasped as his knees buckled slightly. "Might want to give your friends a warning next time, lad," the man grinned as he stood up, dwarfing the young ninja by at least a full head. "I understand your beef with foreigners, kiddo. I know what happened here six years ago – I was here, after all," he said with a feral grin. "I ain't gonna hide it, lad. It _was_ my Boss who killed all those ninja." Several more snapping sounds echoed throughout the room and the shinobi gasped loudly, futilely clawing at the foreigner's gauntleted hand. "But I'm not my Boss. I don't have any blood on my hands," he said. "At least, not from this village. If you're so eager to piss him off again that you'd attack _me_, you've got a better chance if you just sit your sorry arse down and wait for him to pitch up," he said with a snort. "He'd be more than happy to grind you into the floor."

"L-l-l-let go…!" The chunin gasped loudly as he tugged at the foreign man's hand, doing everything in his power to free himself from the vice-like grip around his wrist. Behind him, his four accomplices readied their katanas.

"Wouldn't do that if I were you," the foreign man spoke to them as the chunin in front of him fell to his knees. "Odds are I can throw this punk at you and reach my own blades quicker than you rookies can try to land a hit on me." He still had that savage looking grin on his face, and while it didn't exactly _scare_ here, Anko felt unnerved by it. "Look at you," the man growled at the four sword users. "Do you feel _strong_ when you hold those swords, lads? Do you feel intimidating? Because you're not looking either, to be honest. Your grips on those hilts scream that you're useless in swordfighting, and your stances are making me sick," he said with narrowed eyes. "And instead of actually working at fixing that, you follow this shitstain," he said as he pointed at the kneeling chunin before him, "who can't exploit an opening even when he's faced with a dozen of them."

The chunin seemed to hear that, and with a desperate grunt he swung his free arm, aiming a punch right at the foreigner's groin – a useless act. That fist was caught in the palm of the foreigner's other hand, and several _pops_ and _cracks_ echoed again soon after. "Bonus points for pragmatism though," the foreigner spoke just as his knee smashed into the Chunin's face, sending the young man flying back. "Bit too slow, though. And too late," the man huffed as he looked at the fallen ninja. "And you're an idiot for crying out before attacking. If you're going for the pragmatic approach at least do it _right_," he sighed as he looked at the four trembling sword users. "Take your fuckbuddy and get the hell out of here," he growled. "Before I replace your spines with those swords."

It was almost instantaneous. _Something_ happened to the air in the bar – for a few scant seconds it became frighteningly hard to breathe – Anko gasped softly as a feeling of oppression flowed over her body. Her hands started to tremble ever so slightly, and her heart started beating wildly. The foreigner was grinning at the four scared sword users now – but there was something in his eyes that Anko couldn't ignore. A promise of pain and agony should anyone try attacking him, and a fierce, predatory gleam that seemed to size up everyone in the building at once. She tried to move, forcing her body to do as she commanded, but she was rooted in place. A foreign feeling reared its ugly head inside her – and her eyes widened slightly when she recalled what she was feeling.

Orochimaru had used something similar on her once. A surge of killing intent so overwhelming it chained her to her spot. But there was something off… Something different. The feeling differed slightly. For just that moment, Anko felt _weak_ – she felt fragile, small and exposed under the gaze of an unseen predator, waiting for just the right moment before striking.

Almost as quick as the intent filled the room, it disappeared. It couldn't have lingered for more than a few seconds, but it had felt like it lasted for _hours_. Anko realized she was holding her breath, and released it with relief as she slumped back onto her seat. With a slew of mutters, yelps and whimpers, the four sword users grabbed hold of their fallen comrade and fled out of the bar so fast the door was nearly knocked off its hinges. With a hungry grin, the foreigner surveyed the room, radiating confidence. "Anyone else want to try me?"

Despite several harsh glares sent his way, nobody rose to the challenge. The bar returned to its normal noisy atmosphere, and everyone present went back to their own business as though nothing had happened. Yet despite the aloof attitudes and feigned disinterest, Anko could see several of the patrons still trembling slightly. She also took note of the three or four ANBU who slowly shrank back into the shadows. "Didn't scare you too much, did I, old man?" The foreigner smirked as he sat back down on his chair, lazily taking another sip of his drink. "That stunt normally gets me thrown out."

Despite the fact that he was still shaking, the bartender fixed him a small smile and proceeded to clean the glasses behind the bar. "That punk always stirs trouble here," he said with a fake grin. "Normally he gets carted off by ANBU, but that didn't stop him before. Hopefully _you_ did." He sighed. The foreign man let out a short laugh as he downed his drink again, before turning back to Anko, who was still trembling slightly and staring at him with curious eyes. "I'm guessing I've got a bit to explain, huh?" He grinned cheekily.

"… You have _no_ idea…" She replied with a frown. "What the _hell_ was that?!"

"A trick of the trade," the man smiled as the bartender filled his glass again. "I'm a hunter. That little trick I just pulled helps me with that – freezes the herbivores in place and scares the predators into a standstill. Very useful if you don't want your arrows to ruin the pelts," he grinned. "If they stand still you can pop arrows through their eyes without any problems."

"…I'm calling bullshit," Anko sighed irritably. "That's not all there is to it, is there?"

"No…" The man shrugged. "But I don't feel like telling you more. 'Sides, I'm not tipsy yet," he grinned as he drank from his glass. "Don't know you, either."

"And your 'boss'?" Anko asked with a frown. "You said he was the one who killed all those people back then?"

"Yup," the man shrugged again. "But they deserved it. The civvies were mobbing a little boy and the elite guys who chased us were being stupid – and being stupid around my boss is lethal." He downed the contents of his glass again, not looking even the least bit tipsy after finishing off the strong alcohol. "Boss warned your leader," he said nonchalantly. "Told him not to send anyone after the boy. They decided otherwise – so my boss simply acted on his warning."

"You think _that_ justifies it?" Anko growled. "You think _stupidity_ justifies a mass killing?!"

"Their goals justified a mass killing," the man corrected, snuffing Anko's anger in an instant.

"Wha… What the hell do you mean?"

"You said it yourself, didn't you?" The man asked. "The truths you spoke about. The glaring, the hating, the rip-offs, the assaults… When the kid left with us he told us _everything_. Those glamorous 'elites' of yours stood by and did jack shit to help the kid before we came," he said as he ordered another drink. "Apparently those who came after him were sent to 'retrieve him'. Question is, what good would that have done? He'd still be stuck here, getting hated and glared at and ripped off and mobbed until he learned to evade people. And do you _really_ want to tell me you think nothing would have come of the dead civvies? I bet he'd have been blamed for that too," he said. "One retrieval mission wouldn't have changed your 'elites' attitude. They'd still stand by and do jack shit, until it got too out of hand – then they'd just break up the crowd and leave the kid to his own devices." He sighed. "Much as you won't want to believe it, we saved that kid."

"And killed a third of the village's ANBU ranks in one go," Anko sighed. "No wonder they're so stuck on the 'demon wizard'," she said as she looked back at the people in the bar. Several were still fixing glares at the foreign man's back, while the others were glaring at the ones doing the glaring. "That's a rumour, right? The demon wizard?"

"Wizard's a bit inaccurate," the man shrugged and downed yet another drink. "Mage is more appropriate. As for the demon part… I dunno. I've never seen Master's face. Nobody knows what's under those robes, either."

Anko was dumbfounded. "…You're shitting me, right?" She asked incredulously.

"Nope," the man whispered with a smile. "Believe it or not, Master's a mage. Your leader knows that," he grinned. "How else do you explain the _hell_fire?"

"…Bullshit," Anko was getting irritated quickly. "There's no such thing. It can't be. I don't believe it. I _won't_!" She said as she palmed her face. "Not unless you can prove it to me. You called him 'boss' and 'master' – you must know a few things about… whatever the fuck he does," she said with a groan. The foreign man said nothing. He only smiled in an infuriating way before placing the tips of his index and middle fingers on the counter. Almost the minute the man's fingers touched the counter, the smooth wood in front of him started to contort and a small, bonsai-sized tree sprouted from it, just small enough for his chest to hide it from the rest of the drunkards' view.

Anko felt her jaw drop, but did nothing. For a moment, she'd been absolutely blindsided. No handseals, no incantations, no scrolls, _nothing_. The man had literally made a tree pop up from the counter with a _touch_ – and that shit-eating grin wasn't helping anything!

She was about to say something – she was on the verge of biting his head off in a whispered tirade for using something like that in a _bar_ of all places, but a raised hand silenced her as the foreign man continued to stare at the little tree in front of him. Only then did Anko realize that the bartender was _also_ looking on, but he was more fascinated than anything else. With a soft grunt, the foreign man snapped his fingers – and the tiny tree turned into water in an instant. She slumped in her seat as the man flexed his fingers, forming the water into a tiny ball before dropping it into his empty glass. With a victorious grin, the man turned to her. "Any more questions?"

Anko sat dumbfounded. Her thought process had been completely shattered by what she'd seen. She'd sat down next to the man expecting some kind of surprise – he was foreign, after all – but she could _never_ have prepared for what he showed her. She exhaled loudly as she rubbed her temples, closing her eyes as she tried to piece everything together… _Okay… Okay… Calm down, it's not a big deal. I mean, yeah, he pulled a tree out of fucking nowhere and turned it into water in the time it took me to blink – okay, this a _fucking_ big deal…_ She exhaled loudly again before turning to the bartender. "You saw all that?" When the old man nodded, she sighed. "Make sure his glass stays full. I'll pay." She turned back to the foreign man. "_You_ aren't leaving until I've made sense of all of this."

"Huh…" The man grinned. "Straight to the demands, eh? Normally, you ask a person's name after buying 'em a drink, but okay, whatever floats your boat, lady." He quickly downed the water in his glass before handing it to the bartender. "I'm Borgia, by the way."

"Bor… What?" Anko faltered slightly. "What kinda name is that?!"

"It's not a name," the man grinned. "It's a surname."

Anko grit her teeth. "…Then why insist on being called by it?"

"Ain't that how it works here?" The man asked with a raised brow. "Naruto told me it's some kinda manner of speaking, using a person's surname with some kind of honorific. Never paid attention though…" He grinned when Anko's forehead slammed onto the bar. "'Sides, my surname's my pride. My honour. Call it a memento of… better times," he smiled. "I don't like my name much. If you want to know _that_ you'll need to earn a bit more trust from me."

"…I don't even see how that works…" Anko muttered as she sat upright and shot the man an incredulous look. "You don't like something but you need to… You know what, never mind. I'm not even gonna ask," she said with a defeated sigh. This man made absolutely _no_ sense to her. Just then a thought occurred to her: Borgia _did_ tell her his name, and she briefly remembered someone rambling about a name exchange being 'common courtesy'. True, she didn't feel very courteous right now, but she _did_ think of a way to at least gain some ground against the aloof foreigner. "My name's Mitarashi," she grinned.

Borgia's eyebrow shot up again. "Mitarashi? Just Mitarashi?"

Anko grinned. "It's a _surname_."

Borgia stared at her for all of a second before his eyes lit up with amusement and a hearty laughed poured out of his mouth. "Touché, lass," he chuckled as he downed another glass of alcohol. "Touché."

* * *

"…Was it really wise to let the boy steal the scroll?"

"_You_ did_ wish to see what Naruto has learned, did you not? This be a great opportunity for you to witness it."_

Hiruzen sat staring at his crystal ball, observing Naruto kneeling down in a clearing, chanting _something_. The old Hokage had to resist sending out more squads of ANBU in the hopes that they could reach Sasuke Uchiha before anything got out of hand, but the dark robed being in front of him had assured him that it was the best course of action to let the boy steal the scroll, so Naruto could find him, incapacitate the traitor manipulating the young Uchiha and avert disaster. "What is he chanting?"

"_He augments his senses,_" the dark mage spoke, crimson eyes never leaving the crystal globe. "_While he has kept at his ninja training with nigh religious fervour, he is far from the able trackers of this village with those skills. As such the boy must rely on his magics if he is to succeed in this task."_

"But… What if he doesn't reach the Uchiha in time?" The Hokage frowned. "The poor boy has already experienced much in his life… Being apprehended by ANBU will only add to those trials."

"_You clearly have little faith in the boy,"_ the dark mage mused. "_He has faced many trials, aged one, and has learned much. A task such as this is… trivial."_

"Then why assign it to him?" Hiruzen asked as he gazed back at the crystal ball…

…Just in time to see Naruto spring to his feet, spinning where he stood, grasping at his head and pulling on his hair as he let loose a string of what the Hokage could only guess to be _excessively_ violent curses. It was a… very odd performance, to say the least – it seemed that augmenting senses with magic was quite detrimental. "If this task is so easy for him to do, why order him to do it?" Hiruzen asked as he looked at the dark mage before him. "Is it because of Sasuke Uchiha?"

"_Indeed…_" The mage spoke, looking away from the crystal ball and closing his eyes. "_I have read the young survivor's soul as I have read yours, and I see naught but that which you would call negative. Hatred, loneliness, sorrow, anguish… The child is broken, Hiruzen. His heart is in pieces and his soul screams an unholy tone of sadness and anger," _Archos said as he looked out of one of the windows.

"_That must be corrected, aged one – and Naruto is the perfect person to do so."_ He said softly. "_I do believe the time is appropriate for you to step in… They are in the forest, about five-hundred meters northeast of the gates…"_ And with those words, the mage vanished.

* * *

_Good-for-nothing piece of crap spell and its useless side-effects and stupid drawbacks and – wait, those two are the same thing, aren't they? Argh! Dammit!_

Naruto growled loudly as he palmed at his eyes again. If he ever needed to state something to himself that simply _should_ _not _be forgotten – _ever_ – it was that clairvoyance was like a spoiled _whore_ when it came to non-magical beings. High demands, lots of trouble to acquire, _very_ costly (to magical reserves, at least) and the payoff lasted all of ten to fifteen seconds before leaving the user ravaged, aching and panting on the floor – and not in the good way, either. He cursed _everything_ that could use it without and drawbacks as he leapt from branch to branch, wiping away the tears from the strain on his eyes and doing his best to filter out the unholy ringing in his ears. It turned out that the after-effects of clairvoyance were considerably _worse_ if you didn't use it for a long while – and he felt like an absolute _idiot_ for not remembering that… for the fifth time in a row.

Still, as minuscule as the payoff was, it was still a payoff, and the moment Naruto had regained most of the clarity in his vision, he could see the rewards the perpetually abusive spell offered. Every now and then a translucent projection of Sasuke Uchiha would appear in front of him, darting forwards as it left wisps of bright dust and golden footprints in its wake. Naruto grinned at the success of his spell, despite pain clairvoyance had hammered into his eyes and ears. True, clairvoyance _was_ the one thing on earth he hated more than harpies and banshees, but it _was_ a useful spell. Creating a projection of a person or animal that only the caster can see? Absolute gold.

He sighed as the ringing started to subside, at last, after ten minutes of bothering him to near-insanity. He was getting closer to his destination, he _knew_ it. That was one of the mechanics of clairvoyance, after all – the closer you got to your target, the more often the projections would pop up. Granted, Naruto had called bullshit on the ability pretty much the moment he saw it in practice, but after using it to track down people who were considered 'untraceable' his opinion changed.

That still didn't stop him from swearing up a storm whenever he used it, though. He'd _never_ stop complaining about _that_ particular aspect.

It was at that exact moment that the use of clairvoyance actually became worthwhile. Naruto stopped suddenly, standing on one of the large branches as quickly pulsed magic into his ears. His hearing amplified almost fivefold – and much to his excitement, he heard two voices arguing; one belonged to a man, the other to a young boy… And the boy sounded angry.

Naruto grinned. _Finally_ he'd have a chance to relieve all the frustration caused by clairvoyance through the use of his fists. True, most would call him a sociopath if they heard _that_ particular train of thought, but 'most' hadn't been running around on a wild goose chase amplifying their senses with magical energy and suffering the painful aftereffects – so 'most' could go jump off a cliff. He'd been fighting alongside his brothers and sister long enough to know that, while combat was hardly a 'good' thing, it was _very_ therapeutic when your opponent was a scumbag – and judging by what the black-masked ANBU had said, this 'Mizuki' person was as big a scumbag as any.

With an eager chuckle, Naruto cracked his knuckles. This was going to be _fun_.

* * *

…Boy, was he wrong about that.

He was close to the two now, perched on a branch overlooking a clearing where the two 'traitors' were squaring off against each other. Sasuke looked exactly like he did in the photo – dark hair and eyes, blue shirt, white arm warmers, and – for someone as young as him – a rather impressive scowl. The one thing the photo left out was the vast amount of cuts and bruises on the boy's body, but that was probably the lowlife's fault. With a snort, Naruto focused on said 'lowlife', the chunin named Mizuki. Naruto had gained a mental picture of the man going by the black-masked ANBU's description, at least personality-wise – and so far, he hadn't been that far off.

He inwardly cringed and wondered exactly _why_ people opted to stop and gloat stupidly at the height of their 'master plan' that they'd been orchestrating. True, Mizuki seemed skilled – he _was_ a chunin, after all. But Naruto opted to give the man a failing grade when it came to performing as an evil genius. The man was failing _horribly_ at that. Honestly, Naruto had to stop himself from attacking whenever the man decided to pause and go on a tirade about how 'weak' the 'great Sasuke Uchiha' had become. Honestly, wasn't it more appropriate to save the gloating for when your foe was _dead_? Spitting out a quick, witty remark after beating an opponent _was_ the badass thing to do, after all…

"The thing that surprises me _most_ about this is how you actually fell for it…" Mizuki grinned at Sasuke.

_Chance!_ Naruto grinned as he moved in for the kill, quickly uttering a basic 'cloak' chant and fading into the shadows before leaping toward the ignorant chunin.

* * *

"Of all the things you could believe, you just _had_ to go and fall for something relating to your brother, eh, Sasuke? And here I thought you were the top rookie this year…" He laughed maniacally when Sasuke frowned at him, clutching his chest as he heaved, obviously exhausted. "But the proof was too great, wasn't it?" He spat.

"…Shut up…" Sasuke gasped as he glared at the chunin. "…You… You tricked me… How did you-"

"Know?!" Mizuki cut him off with a harsh cackle. "About the 'deep, dark secrets' of the Sharingan? Did you _really_ think that there was _no_ information on that bloodline of yours?" He grinned. "All it took was some snooping, to be honest. You'd be surprised how many people would fall for an Academy teacher's excuse. All I had to say was that you had confided in me, and told me _exactly_ how you felt about losing your parents, and they babbled like a bunch of women!"

"…Wha… I never…"

"Of course you didn't!" Mizuki laughed. "But who were _they_ to argue? The only thing they knew was that the _troubled_ Sasuke Uchiha kept to himself, shunning any attempt at friendship or affection and brooding about how horrible his life turned out!" The chunin cackled madly. "They were all too eager to help once they found out that _poor little Sasuke_ was finally crawling out of his shell!" He laughed. "Amazing how blind the people of Konoha can be. You'd think that changed when Danzo snuffed the old council, but it seems ignorance is a lasting presence…"

Sasuke grit his teeth, growling softly. His glare intensified as his hand shot forwards, flinging a kunai at the chunin with frightening accuracy. Mizuki only grinned at the attack, lazily knocking it away with his own kunai as soon as it was within range. "Pathetic, pathetic, _pathetic!_" He laughed. "You're supposed to be an Uchiha! Where are those fancy fire techniques of yours?!"

Sasuke responded to the taunt, leaping back and forming a quick array of hand seals. This made Mizuki's grin widen – he effortlessly took one of the large fuma shuriken off his back and flung it at Sasuke. The large weapon flew at the young boy with such speed that he had to drop his technique and dodge, hopping back a few feet as the large shuriken embedded itself into the ground. Sasuke frowned – he wasn't fast enough then. He slowly raised his hands in front of his chest, aiming to form the necessary seals again, before Mizuki spoke.

"I found out about a few other things too, little Sasuke," the chunin cooed with a mad grin. "Quite a few things, actually – like the details of the massacre, for one," he chuckled as he saw Sasuke glare at him, pausing in the midst of forming seals. "Ever wondered _why_ he did what he did? Ever wondered why he left your parents to die _last_?!" That was proof enough. Mizuki cackled again as Sasuke's eyes widened, his hands falling slightly and abandoning the seals they were forming. "That's right, Sasuke. I know everything – every little detail… I know the _truth_ about that night!" He howled in laughter as he saw rage boil in Sasuke's eyes. He saw the young boy's fists clenching and trembling, and his breathing becoming erratic, _wild_. This would break him for sure. "The truth, _poor little Sasuke_, is-"

"Oi. Dipshit."

"Huh?" Mizuki quickly spun on his branch as a voice sounded behind him – and let out a loud _hurk!_ as something solid smashed right into his face. He felt his nose break under the force, his eyes started to tear up and he panicked when fell off the branch he was standing on – and he let out a loud gasp as he landed on the cold, unforgiving ground, the wind knocked right out of his lungs. He heard a chuckle coming from above him as he squinted, trying to clear his eyesight.

"Ha-ha! Look out below!"

Two hard soles slammed into Mizuki's face the moment that excited cry reached his ears. His head slammed into the ground and felt several teeth knocked loose under the impact. His pained scream was muffled in his mouth as the heels of the soles kept his lips pressed against each other, and he felt his body twitch sporadically under the impact before his consciousness left him.

Naruto grinned when he saw the dumbfounded look on Sasuke's face. Then he looked down, and suppressed his own laughter as he hopped off Mizuki's face. The chunin was beyond dazed – Naruto would say the man was knocked out cold if it weren't for his certainty that the silver-haired traitor would be up again in a few minutes swearing bloody vengeance – or trying to, at least, what with all the gaps between his teeth now. At least he was correct about the 'bloody' part though. With a victorious grin, Naruto held out his palm just as his large, steel carrying case fell from the sky, and caught it without as much as a hitch; he hadn't even _looked_ towards it.

He'd been practicing _that_ ever since he'd learned it looked awesome.

With a smirk, he looked at Sasuke, who was standing to the side, slowly – and smartly – backing away from him with a mix of shock, anger and confusion on his face. "You alright there, duckling?" He grinned as he walked towards the young boy. "That asshole didn't tear you up too badly, did he?"

"Who… Who are you?" Sasuke growled as he readied a kunai in his hand. "What do you want from me?"

"Don't want anything _from_ you," Naruto shrugged as he set his case down on the ground. "What I want is to make sure that the ANBU who are on their way here now don't clap you in irons and haul you off to some dark cell where you'll be fed scraps of bread and old milk," he said nonchalantly. "That means I want to help you, by the way. Just so you know. In case you didn't. Y'know, just-"

"I _know_ what it means!" Sasuke barked at him, still holding a kunai in his hand, not even bothering to leave his fighting stance. "…Why?"

"…I need a reason to help you?" Naruto looked at him with a bored expression. "Are you _shitting_ me? Have you been living under a rock?" Sasuke kept glaring at him, prompting Naruto to sigh and palm his face. "Look, I _know_ this guy's been manipulating you, and I'm about to kick his ass for it. Hell, I just bashed his face in for no reason. Would I have done that if I were after you?" Naruto asked exasperatedly. "Just… Look, ANBU or not, people are on their way here. You stole the scroll in broad daylight – _someone_ saw you coming here, and _someone_ reported it. If you're caught here with that scroll, we're both in for a world of shit," he sighed. "…Where is the scroll, anyway?"

"…How can I trust you?" Sasuke asked, his defences faltering by a fraction. "How do I know you're not trying to manipulate me either?"

Naruto sighed. "Okay. Okay, fine. I'll keep it simple. Six years ago. What happened here?" He asked, looking at Sasuke with a bored expression. "Come on, come on, we don't have time to stall – what happened here six years ago?"

"… A slaughter…" Sasuke said warily, suddenly tense. "A… A group of civilians and a large amount of ANBU were killed…" He frowned. "…That was you?"

"Wha-How the… _What?!_" Naruto asked with a mortified expression. "Are you joking? You have got to be joking. Come _on!_" He whined. "Seventy two deaths, duckling! _Seventy two!_ Why the _fuck_ would I come all the back here if I had _seventy two deaths_ on my head?!" He groaned as he ran a hand down his face. "Just… Focus, okay? Just focus. Apart from the deaths, what happened? Someone was taken from here, right? Someone left with the killer?" Naruto asked, and received a nod from Sasuke. "Good! Who was it? Do you know?"

"The village prankster," Sasuke responded. "Naruto Uzu…ma…" Realization dawned on his face. "Your eyes… You're…?"

"Jackpot!" Naruto cried happily. "You win the game! Yes, you guessed it. I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I'd bow, but you're not wearing a crown so I don't have to, and I'd strike an awesome pose for you but we don't have _the time!_" He said exasperatedly. "I'm _from_ this village, I'm _back_ in this village, and I'm trying to reconcile and show I'm not the same as the man who killed all those innocent people back then. I'm also trying to save you from a shitstorm of false accusations and village hate and _you're not helping!_"

"But… I don't… You look-"

"Don't try to understand this now," Naruto pleaded. "Just leave the scroll here and _get going_! I can't help you if you don't let me!" Sasuke had completely dropped his guard, and despite the impassive mask he was trying to maintain on his face, the confusion in his eyes was evident. He slowly looked back at the fallen form of Mizuki.

"I can't leave…" He said softly. "He said he knew… He said something about the 'truth'… I need to know what he knows."

"And you _will_," Naruto assured him, stepping closer to the young boy. "But that knowledge won't do _jack_ if you're caught here! I'm still an outsider, remember? I can only stall them – I can't call them off, I'm not the Hokage. Not yet, anyways," he said. "I'm going to beat whatever knowledge he has out of him," he said as he pointed at Mizuki. "Meanwhile, _you_ are going to put the scroll here somewhere so I can pin it on him when the ANBU get here – it's that simple." He sighed when he still saw hesitation in Sasuke's eyes. "Listen," he said as he stood in front of the boy, grabbing his hand in a typical handshake fashion. "I will find out what he knows, I will find _you_ and I will tell you everything he tells me. _I swear it_." The moment those words left the ninja-mage's mouth, a bright light emanated from their clasped hands, blinding the two of them momentarily.

Sasuke cautiously stepped back and glanced at his hand – there, in his palm, was a tattoo-like marking, a circle of thorns with what looked like a straw doll in the middle. It was very light – one could mistake it to be dirt or a bruise at first glance. "What is this?" He asked as he looked at the symbol.

"Proof of contract," Naruto quipped as he walked back to Mizuki's fallen form. "I break my word, I get hurt. A lot. A _whole_ lot," he said with a shudder. As soon as he reached the fallen chunin, he pressed his fingers to his temples and sent a pulse of magic into his mind. He winced as his senses flared – and his hearing determined that seven figures were heading towards them at a frightening pace. "ANBU's on their way… We've got about… four minutes before they get here," he frowned. "Get to work on that scroll, Sasuke," he said as he massaged his temples. "We don't have long. I'll try to distract them." He placed his palms on the ground and began to chant under his breath, and the earth beneath his hands started to bubble and steam. With a loud rumble, a cluster of shifting ground shot out from under Naruto's palms, moving left at an alarming pace before disappearing into the shrubbery.

Sasuke took that as his cue. He sprinted towards a shuriken-riddled log a few feet away from the clearing – one Mizuki had used for substitution – and picked it up. With a puff of smoke, the stolen scroll was resting in the young boy's arms as he hurried over to where Naruto was hunched, setting the scroll down beside Mizuki's unconscious form. "What was that?" He asked curiously. "That technique you used?"

"A diversion," Naruto grinned wildly. "Boom."

A loud explosion sounded in the distance as Naruto said that word, and as Sasuke looked up the boy could _swear_ he saw a tongue of flame towering above the treetops before dissipating as though someone had snuffed it. He slowly looked back towards Naruto, and saw him placing his hands on his temples, flinching once more and hissing in pain. Then his eyes started to glow. "Okay… Their changing direc-Aw, crud, the Hokage's with them," he groaned. "That… is a bad thing. A very, _very_ bad thing. Sasuke, get going. They're heading towards my trick. You've got a few extra minutes to get as far away from here as possible."

Sasuke didn't need to be told twice – not anymore. He turned tail and bolted to the edge of the clearing before looking back. "Don't worry, duckling," Naruto grinned at him, still kneeling beside Mizuki. "I made a promise, didn't I? I never go back on my word – that's how I work," he said with a smile. "Run along. _I'll find you_." The mark on Sasuke's palm glowed again, and with a nod to Naruto, he sped off.

* * *

"Oh, this'll do nicely."

Yūgao stopped and turned to face her charge. The young woman, Safaia, had asked her whether there were any large clearings near the village where she could start setting up a camp for herself and her brothers. At first Yūgao was quite surprised – after all, there was no shortage of hotels in the village – but she mentally kicked herself when Safaia had informed her that her brother Kahn was just a few inches shy of nine feet tall, so no hotel would have a room large enough for the giant. "You're sure this isn't a training field, Yūgao?" She asked with a smile. "Kahn's a bit… excitable. If he wakes up and hears fighting he'll just charge off and start wrecking things."

Yūgao shook her head no. "Hokage-sama had this clearing cordoned off for you after your sensei met with him." She was currently sitting on a large boulder jutting out of the ground, wondering how a small, frail girl like Safaia was going to set up a camp. Even if she jumped in to help, they were just two people, after all – and judging by this 'Kahn' person's size, a simple tent wasn't going to do for him…

"Ah, great," Safaia smiled as she walked to the centre of the clearing. She withdrew a small, steel case no larger than a small notebook. "Say, you _do_ know about my Master, right?"

"I… am aware that he's a mage, yes." Yūgao still had trouble admitting as much, though. "He turned my mask into water somehow."

"Basic transmutation," Safaia grinned. "Master made a point of teaching that to everyone. Though some of us weren't lucky enough to get it down," she said with a soft smile. "Borgia can only transmute things into dirt, water and wood, and Naruto can't transmute – period." She held the small, steel container up in front of her and turned to face Yūgao with a smile. "Might want to suspend your notion of disbelief again," she quipped as she let go of the container.

To Yūgao's shock, the small, book-sized box hovered in mid-air for a while before the sound of screeching metal filled the air. She felt her eyes go wide as the box started to convulse and twists, and before the ANBU's eyes, it started to grow. "Say, seeing as we're here, shouldn't you be reporting back for duty?" Safaia asked curiously. "You _are_ an elite, after all," she smiled. "Naruto told us a lot about you guys during our travels."

"Reporting back isn't necessary," Yūgao said, still eyeing the transforming container. It was already larger than most backpacks, and was already sporting an impressive array of locks and engravings. "The village is… in turmoil. Everyone knows about your sensei and what he did six years ago." She tried to keep her voice impassive, but she still noticed the hint of sorrow that flashed in the girl's eyes. "Because of that, your sensei insisted that somebody be your bodyguard for the duration of your stay."

_That_ caused an interesting reaction.

Safaia's face started flitting between looks of confusion, shock and what _looked_ to be some variant of horror as she processed the information. "…The duration of my stay here?" She asked softly. Yūgao nodded, intrigued by the girl's reaction. Safaia sighed exasperatedly and grasped her face with both hands. "…No. No _way_," she sighed. "Gods, that's gotta be so _boring_," she sighed. "I mean… I mean… Jeez, you're an elite! You know, dangerous jobs, high stakes, all that?" She groaned. "Following me around day after day… You're gonna be bored stiff, aren't you?" She shook her head.

A small smirk tugged at the corners of Yūgao's lips. "Please. Those 'dangerous jobs' and 'high stakes' don't exist anymore. The only things I've been doing for the past six years are breaking up riots, weeding out delinquents and hunting down weak deserters," she said as she looked back at the shape-changing steel box. It had finally stopped growing once it was the size of a large table, and had dropped down to the floor with a dull _thud_. "Honestly, I'd rather be stuck on guard duty than continuing with those jobs."

Safaia sighed as she turned to face the large container. "Master really messed this place up last time he came here…" She said as she waved her hand over each of the locks. With a series of loud clicks and the sound of grinding metal, each of the nine locks opened and the lid of the large box popped open. "Guess that's why he and Victor aren't here yet…" She said as she took a few steps back and rolled up her sleeps. Yūgao's curiosity was stirred again when she saw an array of cerulean tattoos decorating the foreign girl's left arm. They looked nothing like the tattoos she'd seen people in the Elemental Nations use – they looked ancient, in a way. There wasn't much shape to them at all – they mostly looked like criss-crossing lines and squares. The foreign girl looked back at Yūgao with a slight smile. "Well, I'll behave," she said happily. "The last thing I want is to make your job harder."

Yūgao was about to answer when Safaia flexed her fingers towards the box – and she fell silent when she witnessed what followed. The cerulean tattoos on the girl's arm lit up in a bright blue hue, and her eyes started to glow. The winds in the training ground picked up slightly, causing the grass to sway and dance as a bright glow emanated from the open box. Yūgao felt her jaw drop when several steel poles and sheets of material hovered out of the box of their own accord, floating in the air as Safaia guided them across the abandoned training ground. It was with no small amount of shock that the ANBU realized that the 'frail little girl' was setting up an entire camp without moving from her spot – she wasn't even using any kind of seal.

With a smile, Safaia turned back to Yūgao. "Telekinesis has a lot of uses," she chirped happily as she removed a small jewelled necklace from her neck and held in her open palm. "Well, time to call the family together." Then the jewel of the necklace started to glow.

* * *

"That's him! There he is!"

Hanabi smiled as she eagerly pointed at the crowd of people in front of her. She had half-considered to keep her Byakugan active, but from her perch on the giant Kahn's shoulder, she didn't even _need_ it – from where she was, she was already taller than anyone in the village, a fact that made the little girl giggle softly numerous times during her stay on the giant's shoulder. She could find _anyone_ like this! At first the people around her would back away in fear at the sight of the massive man, but they calmed down the minute they saw her sitting comfortably on the large man's armour. Their reactions were similar to her own, in that regard.

Right now she was staring right at a group of Hyūga clansmen, fronted by her father, busy searching desperately for her. Her father seemed to be worried sick – and she inwardly cringed when she remembered he had good reason to be; the clan elders were _constantly_ telling her about the 'Hyūga Affair', as it had been dubbed. She was a bit afraid of his reaction, to be honest. Her father could be quite the stern man sometimes – especially when his daughters were involved.

The clansmen – Branch House members, judging by the way their foreheads were covered – gasped the moment Kahn's massive frame entered their view and – futile as it seemed – assumed their combat stances as the giant approached. Hiashi himself paled at the sight of his youngest daughter sitting comfortably between two large spikes on the massive man's shoulder pad – a reaction that made the girl slightly worried. She hoped she wouldn't get in trouble for this.

After all, _he _was the one got lost, not her – Kahn said so himself!

The clansmen's frowns intensified when Kahn stopped about two feet away from Hiashi. The Hyūga patriarch hadn't assumed his combat stance yet, but anyone could see he was tense – despite the stone-cold look on his face, his eyes were trembling as they flitted between Hanabi and Kahn, his fists were clenched and it was obvious he was gritting his teeth as well. Kahn chuckled when he saw their actions, and looked Hiashi in the eye as he pointed a large finger at Hanabi.

"This yours, mister?" He asked in a booming voice.

Some of the hostility in Hiashi's eyes vanished at the question, but the Branch House members remained in their stances. The Hyūga patriarch relaxed – if only a little – and looked up at the giant. "My daughter… You found her?"

"More like 'we' found 'you'," Kahn chuckled as he helped Hanabi off his shoulder and set her down in front of her father. Despite the stony look on his face, Hiashi rushed forwards and seized his daughter in a hug, closing his eyes as relief flooded his face. Hanabi let out a soft giggle as she returned the hug. Several audible sighs of relief surrounded the two as the Branch House members dropped their stances and stood behind Hiashi. "Oughta keep a better eye on your dad next time, Hanabi," the giant chuckled as he took a few steps back. "Lost dads are a big deal."

Hanabi giggled as she let go of her father and turned to face the giant with a smile on her face. Hiashi, still on one knee, easily pieced together what the giant meant – Hanabi was only seven, after all. It was likely she'd still have such a childlike demeanour, and this giant seemed all too content to play along with that. It shocked the patriarch, in all honesty – the giant's attitude and personality were _sharp_ contrasts to his appearance. Anyone looking at him the first time would undoubtedly get the feeling that the large man was some kind of bloodthirsty barbarian – and the scars and the large hammer on the man's back only contributed to that.

Taking his daughter by the hand, Hiashi rose back to his feet and looked up at the giant. "Kahn, was it? You have my gratitude for keeping my daughter safe. Is there any way we can repay you?"

"Repay me for what?" The giant asked with a bored expression. "I helped a kid find her dad – ain't nothing special about that. Anyone else would've done the same," he said with a smirk. With that, he looked back at Hanabi. "Keep a leash on your dad, okay?" Hanabi nodded eagerly, and the giant grinned as he gave the group a salute and turned to walk away, leaving a stunned group of Hyūga clansmen and an utterly giddy little heiress in his wake.

'_Anyone else would have done the same'… You have no idea how wrong you are, Kahn-san…_ Hiashi thought grimly as he watched the giant stride away. _You have no idea what has happened to this village in the past six years… Hanabi was lucky to have you find her. _He turned to face his youngest daughter, who was still smiling widely and waving at the retreating giant. "Let's go home," he said with the beginnings of a smile tugging at his lips, immensely relieved that no harm had befallen his daughter. "Everyone's waiting for us."

Down the street, the giant grinned. A good deed on the first day in a new city was never a bad thing, in his experience. Hanabi's old man seemed a bit strict though – and his bodyguards looked like they could use a fair amount of punching to lighten them up. Shrugging, Kahn decided to ignore the stares the men had given him even as he left, and decided to look for Naruto.

At least, that _was_ the plan until a low hum came from his hip. Sighing, he dug his colossal hand into his pocket, and gingerly removed a small necklace from it, careful not to powder the gem by accident with his brute strength. The small emerald was glowing brightly, and flecks of golden powder rose from the small jewel. Kahn grunted as a golden light shot from the necklace, and darted ahead of him, eager to guide him to where he was being summoned to. "Guess sis is lookin' for me… Well, looks like Naruto can wait." And with that, the giant set off.

* * *

The foreign man named Borgia had to do his best to suppress his laughter as his new acquaintance's head slammed onto the bar. "…I'm still calling bullshit…" Anko groaned dejected. "I _want_ to call bullshit but I can't… Why the hell did you have to be so complicated?" She whined.

"Because being straightforward is boring, and only weaklings are boring," Borgia shrugged as he downed his thirty-second glass of alcohol. "What were you expecting, tales of rainbows and kittens and happy people singing odes and holding hands? I thought you said this was a ninja village," he said with a sigh. "Honestly, one'd think you could handle complicated shit."

"There's a fine line between 'complicated' and downright fucking ridiculous," Anko shot him an irritated glare. "Making a tree pop out of the counter and then turning it into water does _not_ count as '_complicated'_!" She growled. "Dammit… My head hurts… This is your fault…" She groaned. "You and your stupid stories about monsters and demons and – and demon monsters and stuff…" She groaned. "Even Orochimaru couldn't mind-fuck me this badly…" She said with a whiny voice. Borgia chuckled as he watched her grumble about 'stupid magic' and 'bullshit' as she sat slumped in her chair with her face on the counter. The woman was so focused on trying to piece together the story Borgia had told her that she was oblivious to the low hum coming from the foreign man's pocket. With a sigh, Borgia took out a small necklace with a ruby in the centre. The jewel was glowing brightly – and the fact that it shone gold meant Safaia was looking for him and his brothers.

Gods, he hoped she'd shaken off that purple-haired woman. The weary hunter _never_ got along with elites.

With a sigh, he motioned for the bartender to walk over as he unhooked a small leather pouch from the sheath of one of his swords. As soon as the bartender stopped in front of him and reached for Borgia's empty glass, the hunter stopped him with a raised palm and dropped the small pouch in front of him. All it took was a simple tug on the string keeping the pouch closed, and it fell open to reveal – much to the bartender's utter shock – a large amount of solid gold coins and small diamonds. "I'm hoping this is enough to settle the bill?" The hunter grinned at the bartender, who could only look at him with wide eyes.

"…N-n-no way!" The bartender raised his hands. "It's way too much!"

"No it's not," Borgia grinned. "Get your strongest stuff and make sure her glass stays full of it," he said, beckoning to Anko's muttering form. "Poor lass is one confusing thought away from a mental shutdown – it's best if she gets slammed. Might give her other things to think about – like dead boyfriends or whatnot," he said with a grin as he stood up. It took him less than a moment to get his swords and his bow, and he turned to leave the bar. "And get some stronger stuff, why don't you?" He smirked as he walked off. "I knocked back thirty-two glasses and my sight's not even hazy."

The minute he opened to doors of the bar, a golden glow shot out of his pocket and started leading him towards his sister's location. _Well,_ he thought with a confident grin, _off to Saf. Gods, I hope she got rid of that elite bitch…_

* * *

"Agh… Really? _Now_ of all times?" Naruto groaned as the low hum started to emanate from the small necklace adorning him neck. He sighed. "Sorry, sis – you'll have to wait a bit on this one," he sighed as he looked down at Mizuki. He'd done – in his own opinion – an excellent job of restraining the traitorous chunin. Earth magic was very useful for cases like this – as things stood now, the silver-haired bastard's lower legs were completely buried, and Naruto had manipulated the ground to form dirt shackles around the ninja's wrists and elbows. Try as he may, this asshole wasn't going anywhere. Just for good measure, he sent out another flame geyser. He had to keep the ANBU away – even if just for a minute or two.

He grinned as he held his open hand over Mizuki's face. This trick _always_ pissed people off – and this time would be no different.

Naruto started to chant under his breath, keeping his voice low in case the ANBU were close. He grinned when he saw several drops of water extract themselves from the grass around him and float to his open palm, joining together to form a large, round, shifting mass of water just a few inches above Mizuki's face. Step one was complete – now for step two. Naruto had to suppress a bit of a chuckle. Wind magic was one of his strongest areas of expertise, and he practiced it almost tirelessly for two years straight – which was when he discovered fire magic, and what one could do with it.

He chuckled as the water in his palm started to boil as he channelled heat into it. He _was_ only eight when he discovered his aptitude for fire magic – of _course_ he'd lose his shit over something that could cause such massive amounts of destruction, and of _course_ he'd abuse the unholy hell out of it.

The water in his palm was starting to turn into steam – that was good. Only the third step remained. Naruto placed his index finger on Mizuki's throat, and uttered a last chant. Silencing spells were more trouble than they were worth, but on a downed opponent they were absolute gold. Smiling at the progress he'd made, Naruto snapped his fingers – and the ball of boiling hot water splashed down onto the traitorous chunin's face.

Naruto had expected to laugh, really. But when the pained groans and whines reached his ears _despite_ the silencing spell, the young ninja-mage had to wonder if he'd gone just a _bit_ too far. Soon, however, he remembered the ANBU, and the fact that he'd wasted time – so, shrugging to himself, Naruto told himself the bastard deserved to have his face boiled and sent out another flame geyser, hoping that ANBU would keep going in the direction of the loud explosions and mile-high plumes of flame.

He smiled widely when he saw the glare Mizuki was giving him. Despite the red face, peeling skin, vicious looking snarl and bloodshot, teary eyes, Naruto could have sworn the look the chunin was giving him could rival a pissed-off Gorgon, and that said a _lot_. With a happy grin, Naruto touched the chunin's throat again, lifting the silencing spell just enough to hear Mizuki's words. "Morning, shitstain," Naruto chirped as he looked at the traitor's enraged face. "Sleep well? Any sweet dreams?"

"You…" Mizuki's eyes flashed with recognition. "…I should have _known_ you'd come back someday, you demon…" Mizuki growled. Naruto sighed exasperatedly as his shoulders slumped.

"Gods, you people can be such idiots," he said irately. "Just how the hell am I a demon? I don't have any horns or tails or sharp teeth or any of that shit, so I'm starting to think you guys have got the wrong end of the stick here," he sighed. "Those assholes who attacked me earlier also called me one. Hell, I can understand _that_, after all – civvies are supposed to be clueless – but you? A chunin? Come on, bro," he said with a frown.

"You don't know, do you?" Mizuki growled as a fierce grin spread across his lips. "They see you as a demon for different reasons, but _I_ know the truth," he said with a chuckle.

"That's the second time today you've said that," Naruto said with a bored expression. "What truth are you on about?"

"The truth concerning _you_," Mizuki said scathingly. "You know what happened here twelve years ago, didn't you?" He grinned. "This village was attacked by a monster… The nine-tailed Demon Fox… But it was defeated, wasn't it?" He trailed off, only to feel his fury intensify when saw the look of indifference on Naruto's face. "Many people say it was killed… By the Fourth Hokage… But they're wrong," he said with a sick grin. "The beast was sealed, Naruto Uzumaki… Sealed inside a little, new-born boy… That boy is _you_, Naruto Uzumaki! You _are_ the Nine-Tailed Demon Fo-"

"Oh, shut the fuck up, will you?"

Mizuki blanched when Naruto interrupted him with a bored tone. "Can you even hear yourself? Do you have any idea how fucking stupid you sound right now?" He asked incredulously. "I've known about that for five years, asshole. It's not that much of a surprise anymore," he sighed. "It is _crazy_ how badly you misunderstand that seal. Then again, you're probably misunderstanding on purpose," Naruto said with a bored expression. "People who hate things enough often turn stupid and unbearable," he said with a frown. "Whatever, we don't have time for this," he said as he slammed his hand down on the ground and sent another geyser of flames outwards. This time, however, he doubted the ANBU would fall for it. "You and me are gonna have a little talk, Mizuki," he grinned. "About Sasuke Uchiha and how you managed to fool him. He seems like a smart guy – so I'd love to know how you made him do something so stupid."

"I'm not telling you _anything_, demon brat!" Mizuki spat as he glared at Naruto. The man's face spoke volumes of his rage and hatred. Naruto guessed the chunin had clung to that hatred for a very, very long time.

"…You have _no_ idea how many times I've heard people say that," Naruto sighed. "Well, minus the 'demon brat' part, at least," he said with a grin. "No matter! Now I can have some fun," he said as his eyes flashed. "Y'know, Master always made a point of telling me that torture is a last resort, nothing more," he said casually as he placed his palm on Mizuki's stomach. "I've got a ton of other ways to make you speak. But just this once…" He grinned as Mizuki gasped loudly. The chunin's head lulled back and his eyes started to back in their sockets as Naruto channelled wave after wave of intense, searing heat into the traitor's body. The silencing spell was working its magic pretty well – true, most would be able to hear Mizuki groaning and whining if they got close enough, but the ANBU and the Hokage were still too far away to hear a thing. Naruto looked on with indifference as the traitor's body started to steam somewhat, before dissipating the heat and sending a few pulses of cold magic out of his hand. He grinned when he saw Mizuki panting, whining and trembling slightly – who knew a cooking spell could do so much damage? "Ready to talk now, pal?"

"…Wha… What the hell… was that?!" Mizuki raged as he looked at Naruto with a mask of terror on his face.

"Heat," Naruto said simply. "Lots of it. Now speak up or I'll cook you again – how did you convince Sasuke to steal the scroll?"

"Fuck you!" Mizuki yelled at the boy, only to recoil and tremble in pain again as Naruto pulsed more heat into his body. "Stop!" He choked out loudly. "I'll – ack! I'll talk! I'll talk for fuck's sake!" Naruto grinned as he dissipated the heat in Mizuki's body again. He looked back at Naruto with a whimper, and shook slightly when he saw the young boy looking at him expectantly. "There… There's a small group of people… in the ANBU ranks… They're called Root…" He panted as he spoke. "One of the members… One of them defected… Planned to flee Konoha… He had the info I needed…" The traitor groaned. "I stopped him before he left… I was told he knew about the Uchiha clan… He told me… most of what I needed… to know…"

"And what was that?" Naruto asked. "What kind of hair products they use?" He said with a wry grin.

"He couldn't tell me everything," Mizuki panted. "We were intercepted… By an ANBU… with a black mask…" Naruto grinned when he heard this. It seemed the black-masked ANBU really _did_ deal with the person who gave Mizuki the info. "He told me about their bloodline… The Sharingan… and all its stages…" _Stages?_ Naruto frowned as he though. "It's the Uchiha Dōjutsu… It lets the user copy… copy any technique they see… apart from some other bloodline techniques…" Mizuki wheezed.

"Okay… That's understandable," Naruto nodded. "But seeing as Sasuke's the 'last Uchiha' and all, I think he already knows that… Don't you?" Naruto grinned. "You're holding out on me, Mizuki…"

"W-Wait!" Mizuki rasped. "There's more! There's more… There's… There's an evolved form of the Sharingan… It's called the… the Mangekyō Sharingan… It lets you use several… several really powerful jutsu…"

"And I'm guessing you know the names of some of them, don't you?" Naruto said with a smile.

"Y-Yes… The defector told me everything... everything he knew… One of the jutsu, uh… Uhm… Amaterasu, a fire jutsu… that creates fire as hot as the sun… wherever the user's focusing… Then… Tsukuyomi… The defector only told me it's the strongest genjutsu in history… I don't know much more… Only that it's supposed to represent some kind of 'world of darkness'…" Mizuki rasped, desperate to rattle off as much information as possible so Naruto wouldn't boil him again. "There's also… Susanoo… It's some kind of giant being that surrounds the user… and protects him from harm… but at the same time… it taxes the user…"

"…Jeez, and that defector _knew_ all of this?" Naruto sighed as he palmed his face. "Anything _else_ I should know about?"

"Y-Yes…" Mizuki nodded as he spoke softly. "The Mangekyō Sharingan can only be awakened… when you feel the pain of the person closes to you… dying…" He groaned. "Because of that… There've only been a few Uchiha… who awakened it… But it has a drawback…" The traitor coughed before continuing. "The more you use it… The worse your eyes get… and eventually… you go blind…"

"Then why the hell would someone want to use it?" Naruto asked sceptically. "There's gotta be a catch there, I know it," he said with a frown. "Spill it, asshole!"

"…The… The Eternal… Mangekyō Sharingan…" Mizuki whispered. "The last thing the defector told me… was about the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan… It's… It's a loophole to get past the blindness… It's obtained by… merging your own Mangekyō Sharingan with another's… It involves ripping out someone else's Sharingan, though… He also told me that – that the effects are better when it's done between people… who share the same blood… Apparently… The effects are at their most potent when the transplant is done between two brothers…" Mizuki rasped. "That's as far as we got, I swear… I swear, Uzumaki… That's all he told me…" The chunin gulped loudly. "The ANBU with the black mask… He interrupted us… Attacked the defector… So I ran…" Mizuki said with a whine. "Please… That's all I know… I swear…"

"…Sheesh," Naruto said as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "With all that info, it's no surprise Sasuke fell for your bullshit. How'd you get him to steal the scroll, though?" He asked as he flexed his fingers.

"I told him… I told him there's more info in the scroll…" Mizuki gasped as he eyed Naruto's hand with terrified eyes. "Info about the Sharingan… and info about Root…" The chunin said hastily. "That's all I needed to tell him! I swear… I swear, that's all I did. I played up the roll of caring academy teacher, right up to when he was made a Genin… Then I just told him I knew a few secrets… From there it was easy…"

"Huh… That's…" Naruto frowned. "That's actually quite damn ingenious…" He sighed before looking back at Mizuki. "Okay, last question, asshole," Naruto said sternly, and for good measure, sent another light pulse of heat through Mizuki's body. "You said something about 'the truth'," Naruto said with an edge to his voice. "What 'truth' was that?"

Mizuki's eyes widened slightly, and even though Naruto only had his fingertips on the traitor's stomach, the young ninja-mage could feel the man trembling. "You… I can't… The Uchiha will kill me if he finds out!" He said with a horrified expression. "_You_ will kill me if I tell you!"

"I'll kill you if you _don't_," Naruto said, his voice laced with venom. "Even if I'm only twelve… I've already killed. Quite a few times at that, mind you. Murderers, rapists, thieves, deserters… I've killed a few of all of those – and I view traitors in the same light," Naruto said darkly as bright red clouds and arcs of magic pulsed in his free hand, and – much to the traitorous chunin's terror – a typical hand-and-a-half sword formed in Naruto's hand. "Spill it – or the Hokage finds a corpse."

Mizuki paled as he eyed the translucent red sword, sweat pouring off his brow as his eyes danced wildly in their sockets. "There…" He started with a raspy voice, before swallowing and closing his eyes in fear. "There was no truth!" He admitted. "I didn't know more… I didn't have anything left to tell him… So I would have told him a lie..." Mizuki gulped as Naruto's glare intensified.

"…What lie?" Naruto asked venomously. Mizuki opened his eyes and let out a yelp when saw Naruto's eyes were glowing a bright red, and a crimson mist was slowly emanating from his body. The chunin paused in fear as he gazed at Naruto. "_What lie?!_" Naruto roared as he brought the sword down, stopping mere millimetres from Mizuki's throat and causing the traitor to scream softly.

"I would have told him that the massacre was his fault!" Mizuki blurted out. "I would have told him that… that the massacre four years ago… where his whole clan was slaughtered… was his fault…" He stuttered as the crimson smoke that wafted off Naruto's dark coat intensified. "I would have said that… if he'd been stronger… if he'd been anything like his brother… the slaughter wouldn't have happened… I would have told him his whole family died… Because he was weak…" Mizuki said in a panic. "I thought… I thought that… if I could get enough of his trust… through my knowledge of the Sharingan… then my lie… and his memories… would break him…"

Despite the frown on Naruto's face, the sword cracked and fell apart, disappearing entirely before the shards even hit the ground. The red smoke, however, remained a while longer. "You're sick…" Naruto said softly as looked the traitor in the eye. "You're more than sick… You're despicable… I should kill you…" He whispered the last part. "I should make you suffer for everything you planned to do… But I won't," Naruto said as he stood up, the red smoke finally dissipating. "You know why? Because there's one thing my Master taught me that I will _never_ forget," he said coldly. "He told me once, after I… 'snapped', once," he said as he looked Mizuki right in the eye. "He said, '_No matter how much you want scum to suffer, it is best you repress that desire – because even the greatest amount of suffering you can cause… will pale in the face of their damnation'," _Naruto recited. "I'm not going to kill you, Mizuki. I'm not going to hurt you – because I know you'll be hurting soon enough. I promise you that," he said, and with a swift kick to the face, Naruto knocked the traitor unconscious.

_That settles that_, the young ninja-mage thought sourly as he turned to face the forest surrounding him. "So… How much of that did you guys catch?"

With a swirl of leaves, the Hokage appeared before Naruto, flanked by three ANBU on each side. He had a grim smile on his face, and his eyes seemed both curious and disturbed at the same time. Naruto sighed inwardly when he saw the look – almost _everyone_ he met looked like that when they found out he could be hard and cold-hearted, even if he was still technically twelve. "We got here just before Mizuki confessed," The Hokage said with a slight frown. "The geysers you sent out were surprising, but after the second one it was obvious they were distractions. It was… disturbing to hear of his plans with the young Uchiha. We'll see to it that Mizuki's punishment is… fitting," he said as he looked at the fallen chunin. "As of now, Sasuke Uchiha is declared innocent of any crimes committed. I believe you're going to go and see him now?" The old man smiled softly.

"Yeah, I told him I'd share whatever I found out," Naruto nodded.

"Then I leave that to you," Hiruzen smiled. "This is, after all, a task your Master insisted I let you take care of. So far you've done excellently – it will be interesting to see how you handle telling Sasuke-kun what you know," the Hokage smiled sadly. "But please, Naruto. Make sure he understands Mizuki's words were lies – the boy has gone through enough in his life."

"I gathered as much," Naruto sighed. "Some guy in a black mask told me there was a massacre, and Mizuki just confirmed it. Jeez…" He muttered as he palmed his face. "To have your whole clan killed off… That's gotta be a kick in the nuts. I'll make sure to handle the rest of this task with care, gramps," Naruto said. "After rushing him away like that, I owe him as much," he groaned as he turned to leave.

"Naruto," Hiruzen called, stopping the young boy for a moment. "Even if you think it might be unnecessary… I want to speak with you sometime in the future," The old Hokage spoke. "There is… much we need to discuss." _Including that red mist…_

"Way ahead of you, gramps," Naruto grinned as he gave the Hokage a thumbs-up. "As soon as I get settled in, we'll get to that. I've got a lot to tell you," he laughed slightly. "But right now I need to go see to Sasuke. I made an oath, after all… and if I break it…" Naruto shuddered. "Gods, I don't want that happening again…" He said dejectedly. "I'll see ya sometime, gramps. I promise." And with that, the young boy sped off, leaving Hiruzen standing with a grim expression on his face as he recalled what he heard, what he saw, and the drastic change Naruto's personality had taken on.

'_I should kill you…'_

'_I should make you suffer for everything you planned to do…'_

'_I'm not going to hurt you – because I know you'll be hurting soon enough. I promise you that…_'

_Naruto_… The old Hokage thought sadly as he watched the fleeing form of the young Uzumaki. He shuddered at the thought of what could have happened to make the cheerful, loudmouthed young prankster into someone like that. '_Once… after I… 'snapped',_ he remembered Naruto said. 'Snapped' how, exactly? And what could have been so bad that the Harbinger of Shadow himself had to denounce the act of making someone suffer?

_Naruto…_ He thought as he looked back at Mizuki. _What did you see, Naruto…? What did you do…?_ _What on earth did that mage do to you?_

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha frowned as he lay down on the couch he was sitting on. He'd retreated to one of the abandoned houses of the Uchiha compound after he was rushed away from the clearing where he'd fought Mizuki. His mind was in shambles, and he was sporting a massive headache – and it was all that… _other_ Naruto's fault. He still couldn't piece it all together – Naruto was not a teenager. He knew that much – he'd seen the blonde boy a few times before the event known as the 'ANBU Slaughter', and certain things just didn't add up.

Naruto was blonde last time the Uchiha saw him – blonde, hyperactive, and a lot shorter than most. But now… He was still trying to make himself believe that _wasn't_ Naruto in the forest, that it was some kind of impostor, or that his mind was playing tricks on him… The moment he saw the teenager's blue eyes he knew it – somehow, some way, this was the same Naruto. The only thing he couldn't answer was _how_ it was possible. Genjutsu? A Henge? He almost believed that it was one of the two, but…

He snarled slightly as he sat up and palmed his face. He tried to believe it was one of the two – he tried with all his might to tell himself that it was some kind of advanced Henge, but he just couldn't believe it. There was _something_ about the teen that just screamed out that there was more to it than a simple jutsu. He tried telling himself that it was impossible that his 'saviour' was the same hyperactive prankster from six years ago, but there was a certainty in his mind that he was wrong – once he saw the teen's eyes, every notion of disbelief had been blown apart. He didn't know _how_ he knew it, but he was certain that the teen who saved him _was_ Naruto Uzumaki… Now he just needed to find out _how_ it was possible!

He thought back to the scene in the forest, and felt his rage spark again at the mere mention of Mizuki's name. The 'kind' Academy Instructor had been manipulating him for… He growled softly as he gritted his teeth. He didn't even know how long the silver-haired chunin had been manipulating him, or how long the man had planned it - probably right from the beginning, two days after passing Kakashi's bell test, no doubt. To say he was shocked when Mizuki told him how much he knew about the Sharingan would be an understatement – Sasuke was dazed for the rest of the day afterwards. Despite his instincts _screaming_ at him not to trust the man, the fact that Mizuki knew about the Mangekyō Sharingan and its abilities had the young Uchiha convinced. Mizuki had still worn that disgusting, fake little smile and soft expression when he told Sasuke that all the knowledge of the Uchiha clan had been stored in a special seal in the Scroll of Sealing – and that _he_ knew how to undo it.

Sasuke heard his teeth grinding in anger as he looked back at the event. He cursed himself for his lack of better judgement – he should have known better than to believe the chunin. Mizuki _was_ just an academy instructor, after all. He had to have _some_ kind of outside help – but from _who_? Now that he was far away from danger, Sasuke was mentally kicking himself for everything he did wrong. Believing Mizuki, stealing the scroll, and clinging to the hope that there was _some_ truth to the traitor's words even as the now-teenage Naruto Uzumaki ushered him away… He had been such a fool. He had allowed someone to use his deceased clan to play with his mind, and he _very_ nearly paid the price for it. Just that thought was enough to make him pale with anger.

"…You're gonna need a trip to the dentist if you keep grinding your teeth like that…"

Sasuke jumped slightly when the cheerful voice echoed in the empty, dusty room. He frowned slightly as he hopped back, drawing a kunai and taking up his fighting stance as he glared at the intruder. "You…" His stance dropped a bit. "…How did you…?"

"You need more than seals and locks to keep this badass out," Naruto grinned arrogantly as he hopped over the backrest of the couch Sasuke had been resting on not a moment earlier, and sat down comfortably. "'Sides, I said I'd find you, didn't I?" He said with a smirk.

"Hn…" Sasuke dropped out of his stance and drew a chair closer, sitting down and staring intently at Naruto. Hoping to piece together exactly _how_ Naruto looked so different, he fully took in the teen's appearance. The only thing that reminded him of the old, scruffy, dead-last Naruto was the teen's eyes. They were _exactly_ the same – everything else, though… Everything else was completely different – completely _foreign_, to be honest. The steel toed boots, the denim pants, the crimson dress shirt with the rolled-up sleeves and the dark leather longcoat worn in the same style – even his hair was different. Instead of the messy, spiky blonde mop Sasuke had seen once or twice in the past had been replaced by an equally messy mop of black, almost shoulder-length hair littered with streaks of blonde. The prospect of this being genjutsu or a Henge became less and less likely – Naruto resembled a complete foreigner; there was nothing even _remotely_ resembling standard ninja garb on the teen-looking boy's body. "How did you find me?" He finally asked after a minute of contemplation.

"Same way I found you earlier," Naruto grinned. "A trick my Master taught me," he said with a chuckle. "I'll tell you more about _that_ some other time. Mizuki spilled his guts pretty quickly after you left. Can't say it was difficult getting him to fess up, but… Sheesh. That guy's a real bastard." Naruto huffed. "I found out about the truth he was talking about, Ducky," He said after a moment of contemplation. "It's… not exactly what you're expecting."

"…There isn't a truth… is there?" Sasuke had been pondering Mizuki's words ever since he fled the clearing. True, Mizuki knew a lot about the Sharingan, and it was that knowledge that tricked Sasuke into believing him in the first place… But after seeing the radical turn the man's personality took… After seeing the sadistic, insane side of the person who'd been playing with his mind… It wouldn't surprise him in the least if the 'truth' Mizuki spoke about didn't exist.

"No." He saw Naruto shake his head. The teen-looking boy was staring at him curiously – and there was a hint of sorrow in his eyes. "Mizuki would've tried to break you. He was planning on feeding you a lie," Naruto said. Sasuke narrowed his eyes when he heard that part. As he expected – he wasn't surprised. "I said I'd tell you everything, so…" Naruto wavered a bit. "Mizuki said he was planning on telling you that… that the massacre four years ago was your fault."

Sasuke grit his teeth as his hands clenched into fists. He thought he'd calmed down when Naruto popped up inside the deserted house, but after hearing that information… "How…?" Sasuke growled as he felt his face heat up with rage. This wouldn't do. He had to rein himself in – get his anger under control. He took a few deep breaths and tried to calm himself. "…Did he tell you how? How he was going to make me believe… _that_?" Sasuke asked softly, and looked up to see Naruto nodding. "How… No. I don't want to hear it," he sighed as he closed his eyes. Mizuki would have told a lie – nothing more, nothing less. Anything else the bastard would have said was inconsequential. _Nothing_ was going to break him again – he'd make damn sure of that. "Did he say anything else?" Sasuke asked as he looked back at Naruto, calming himself as he stood up and started pacing around the room. "Like how he knew so much about… about the-"

"Sharingan?" Naruto asked with a witty grin, shocking Sasuke slightly. "Yeah, he told me about it. It sounds pretty neat – being able to copy stuff and all that," he chuckled as he looked at Sasuke. "Apparently there's some kind of 'secret group' of ANBU who call themselves Root. One of that group's members wanted to pussy out and run away, but before he could escape, Mizuki stopped him and interrogated him," Naruto said with a shrug. "That's apparently how he knew so much."

"Did he tell you who it was?" Sasuke asked as he stopped. If there were people who knew _that_ much about his clan in the village - especially if they were part of the faction that was actively hunting… _whatever_ it was that came to the village six years ago – then more was being kept from him. He'd bet everything he inherited on that fact. "Did he give you any names, any details, _anything _to go by?"

"Nothing," Naruto said, his cheerful composure slipping slightly. "The guy who told Mizuki is dead. Some ANBU-dude with a black mask and cloak killed the hell out of him." Sasuke _knew_ Naruto had seen him wince at the mention of the black-masked ANBU. "What's with the flinch? You know him?"

"Everyone here does…" Sasuke said grimly as he looked at Naruto. "He's not an ANBU… Naruto." He still had difficulty addressing this new Naruto by name. "He's been removed from active duty. He's a murderer – even our senseis avoid him," Sasuke sighed as he sat down again. This changed a lot of things… How many people knew what the defector had known? How many of those people had already been killed by the man in the black mask? Were any of them still alive? If one simple defector knew all of that… What did that say about the higher-ups of Root? He sighed as he thought about it. He'd have something else to add to that little list of dreams he gave Kakashi. He remembered what he had said – '_I am going to restore my clan… and kill a certain someone…'_ Yes, he'd have something to add to that list indeed.

"If you think any harder you're gonna start steaming outta your ears, Ducky," Naruto warned with a coy smile. Sasuke glared at him as he stood up.

"That's all he told you?"

"Yep," Naruto nodded. "He said some other bullshit about 'Amaterasu' and 'Tsukuyomi' and all that, but I'm guessing you already know about those," he grinned. "So… What're you gonna do now?" He asked as he stood up as well, and walked over to the door. "I'm guessing that dude in the black mask is part of your plans?"

Sasuke was about to nod when he felt a tingling sensation in his palm, and looked down to see the mark Naruto's promise had left fading away. _That must mean he kept his word…_ Sasuke thought as he looked back in Naruto's direction, and nodded curtly. "I'm going to find that man… The one with the black mask… And I'm going to find out what he knows about Root," Sasuke said with a frown. "And once I've done that… I don't care how long it takes. I'm going to take Root apart bit by bit until I find what they're hiding about my clan." Even if it took him years, he'd find out. He swore that to himself – he would find whatever information Root had on him and destroy it.

"Sounds logical," Naruto mused as leaned against the wall. "Count me in. I'll help."

That threw Sasuke out of his thoughts. He'd been so focused on his plans for Root, Naruto's declaration had caught him entirely off-guard and halted his mind for a moment. He shook away the confusion tugging at his mind and looked at Naruto. "Why?" He asked curtly. "What do you have to gain from helping me?"

"Nothing much," Naruto shrugged. "Just that awesome feeling of being a total badass, duking it out with the super-secret sect of secret ninjas and stuff. Seriously, I'll ask again: do I _need_ a reason to want to help you?" He sighed in an exasperated manner. "Seriously, bro, if you're planning on waging some kind of guerrilla war against a secret division of a battalion of elites, you're going to need _some_ help, won't you?" He asked cheekily. "I've been helping people for the past six years, and now that I'm back, I want to help this village too. If Root's a problem, I want to get rid of them, and if they've got something that belongs to you I want to help you retrieve it. Does that qualify as a good enough reason?" He asked with a coy smile.

Sasuke grunted, eyes narrowed, before nodding. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he'd need some kind of help in regards to Root. Besides, what little he'd seen Naruto do against Mizuki was impressive enough. At the very least, the former dead-last was proficient at concealing his presence. Sasuke hadn't noticed a third presence until well after Mizuki was knocked off the branch.

"Awesome!" Naruto grinned. "Right now, though, it's time I got back to the family. It's getting dark," he smiled. "You stay here, or go to your apartment or whatever, rest up, get some sleep and dream about kicking the ever-loving shit out of Mizuki. I'll try to get into contact with that dude with the black mask and check what he knows. Then I'll relay that to you. Sound good?" He asked with a happy smile. Sasuke only nodded, muttering an almost inaudible 'thanks' under his breath as Naruto gave a salute. "Until then, I'll be seeing ya, Ducky."

And with that, Naruto's form blurred for a fraction of a moment before disappearing entirely, leaving a bewildered, confused and absolutely shocked Uchiha futilely trying to determine where his new ally had disappeared to.

* * *

Naruto sighed contentedly as he approached the location of his sister's summons. The old man had been kind enough to grant them one of the vacant training spots as a camp, and for once, the sight of the four large, beige tents was an absolute blessing to the weary ninja-mage's eyes. His new family was here, minus Victor – who'd pitch up and start shanking and shiving people soon enough – and his Master, the old man had been happy about his return, and he'd met some interesting people. Ino was rather fun to be around, even if she had displayed a few bratty traits around her teammates, Choji and Shikamaru looked to be rather good sources of entertainment – especially regarding the latter's comments about troublesome women – and Sasuke Uchiha, much to Naruto's shock, was not as much of a colossal asshole as he had expected. Sure, he could use some more people skills and a larger vocabulary, but hey, beggars can't be choosers.

He'd even managed to apprehend a criminal. Granted, he lost his composure there for a bit, but it was nothing to worry about – the old man seemed a bit worried, but Naruto assumed they'd cover that during the 'talk' he'd insisted on, and the ANBU around him… Hell, they were ANBU. The only time they ever say _anything_ is when they report to the Hokage or arrest someone with a carefully-rehearsed speech.

As far as first days went, this one was one of the more peaceful examples Naruto could add to his life story. Sure, it wasn't as exciting as running headlong into a princess fleeing her traitorous guards and helping the fair young maiden escape in a totally awesome way, but still, Naruto would gladly take days like this one if it meant he could avert several others from repeating themselves.

After all, some of those days could potentially scar him. Hell, one already had – the fear of charging a Hydra head-on was something Naruto didn't want to experience again anytime soon. Scratch that, even being _near_ a Hydra was something Naruto didn't want to experience again – _ever_.

Still, he'd managed to get a lot done in the short time since he arrived. Granted, the fact that he knocked out two chunins at the gate was probably going to swing right back around and shiv him in the ass, but he'd face that particular hurdle when it presented itself. Until then, he was going to waltz right into his tent and get ready to hit the sack. He'd travelled a long way to get back to Konoha – the last major place he'd stopped was some run-down village in the Land of Waves, and that hadn't been the most comfortable stay.

But it didn't matter anymore – he was back in Konoha and… whichever one of them was stuck with tent-duty actually had lots of space to work with. Three of the four tents were as big as some of the huts he'd seen in the 'Outer Lands', and the fourth was almost as big as a house – almost. He was just about to step into the clearing to say goodnight to his family, however, when he paused.

Despite gorging himself on ramen earlier, Naruto couldn't help but drool slightly as the heavenly aroma of whatever was being cooked assaulted his nose. His stomach rumbled as he headed towards the tent from which the wonderful smell emanated from, deciding there and then that he could put off going to sleep for another hour or so.

After all, it seemed that it was Borgia's turn to cook tonight – and Naruto would even pass up the Hokage's hat before he missed his brother's cooking.

* * *

"_**Stand ready… We are almost prepared… My champion…**_"

A gust of powerful wind blasted through the desolate-looking canyon as a lone figure stood before an old, worn-down looking archway etched into the stone. His tattered, greyed cloak rose and fell in the breeze as an ominous green eye peered over a complicated-looking rebreather from under a shaggy hood. The figure had been waiting vigilantly ever since the large arch flickered to life an hour prior, a vortex of different shades of green flowing across the cracked stone and buzzing with magical energy. As the time passed, the figure still stood, hunched over in the moonlight as the trenches behind him buzzed with unlife.

His legions were working diligently – skeletons pieced themselves together from discarded bones and throwaway armour as the malicious silhouettes of gargoyles and harpies circled overhead, almost shrouded by the black of the night sky. Gears and cogs groaned and strained and metal grinded on metal as his greatest creations, his Angels, rose from their state of incubation and awaited his every command as tiny satyrs diligently worked towards oiling their joints and inner mechanisms. Abominations of flesh, bone, and organs roared skywards as they strained against the ropes binding them to macabre war machines, and the banshees drifted between the legions of horror, crooning a soft, almost soothing hymn as they hid their disgusting faces under veils and turbans.

Yes, his legions were working diligently indeed. They knew their lord and master had awakened from his slumber. They knew that, under his guidance, war would rage anew and this time in history would be synonymous with conflict, battle, death and devastation. They knew that, under his guidance, a new era of bloodshed and carnage would emerge and sweep across the known world in a tidal wave of bone, flesh, stone, steel and blood-soaked suffering and death. Such was their goal. Such was their purpose.

Such was the role of Roderick Agnes' legions of darkness and death.

But they were not prepared yet. For every demented soul, for every bloodthirsty monster, for every able and willing skeletal warrior standing solely to serve, a hundred more laid inactive, discarded, forgotten along the cliffs of the canyons… And as numerous as they were, they were not yet prepared for war – least of all against the abominations known as 'ninja'.

"_**Your lieutenants wait, my champion,**_" the voice echoed in Agnes' mind as he stared at the lifeless arch before him. "_**Give us a moment more and we shall guide you to the land you shall seize in our name…**_"

Agnes had patience. He had _more_ than patience. He had been alive for so long, even he had forgotten the number. A thousand lifetimes had passed him, each dedicated to his god, each offered with naught but undying loyalty and unending belief. This was what made him the champion of the Dark Gods – this was why _he_ had been chosen to travel to the Elemental Nations, to build and bolster his forces there… and to erase the concept of 'ninjutsu' from the very folds of creation. Despite his numerous defeats, Roderick Agnes had one feat, one absolute success etched into gold alongside his name:

He had _not_ _once_ failed his god. He had _not_ _once_ disappointed his god. And he had _not_ _once_ embraced the cold figure of defeat without dragging another kind with him.

That thought birthed another in the ageless mage's mind. As the arch before him flickered, and burst into life with a veritable rainbow of differing green shades, Roderick Agnes had already made an oath to himself, an oath to his god, and an oath to creation itself.

He would destroy these 'ninjas' for their offensive existence. He would hurl undead horde after undead horde at their armies, and every death in their ranks would mean a life in his. He would show those pitiful 'shadows', those pitiful 'Kages', just how futile their titles and prowess was in the face of an archmage of old. He would unleash the beast-men under his lieutenant's command upon the scattered, fearful clumps of ninja his hordes would fail to kill, and he would watch with pride as they tore the fickle beings to shreds as his gargoyles and harpies descended on their broken, battered armies like a thunderstorm of feathers and talons. He would watch as his Angels decimated their elites and cut a swath through the remainders of their ranks, and when all their petty armies lay vanquished he would laugh as his abominations and siege engines tore down the walls of their pathetic little villages.

Yes, he would destroy the ninjas wholly and completely – or he would see each and every one of his own warriors perish in the process.

"_**The gate is prepared, my champion,**_" his god's voice rang in his mind. "_**Your lieutenants await you. There is a man in these nations you must seek… A subhuman snake-wretch who futilely struggles against his own mortality,**_" the voice boomed with rage for a moment before calming down. "_**He is… excitable, when it comes to the matters you specialize in, champion,"**_ the voice said as Agnes took a careful step towards the glowing portal in front of him. "_**Show him a fragment of what you are capable of, and he will surely agree to a… temporary alliance."**_

"And if he does not, Lord?" Agnes' voice was muffled by the rebreather. "What if he resists… or rejects the alliance?" He asked with a hint of amusement. The voice of his god remained silent for a moment, before booming into his mind again, ripe with malice, loathing and disdain.

"_**You have dominated stronger minds than his, my champion. Should he refuse… Improvise."**_

Nodding, Roderick Agnes laughed sinisterly as he disappeared into the portal.

* * *

Naruto yawned contentedly as he sat up in his bed. After gorging himself on his brother Borgia's cooking the previous night, he'd skittered off to bed and enjoyed the best night's rest he'd had in weeks. He'd fallen asleep almost the second his head fell onto his pillow, and the dream that followed was nothing but pure bliss for the young ninja-mage. After gaining a family, good dreams were a common occurrence for the boy – but the dreams that made him downright giddy, like the one he had just woken up from, were arguably some of the better memories he had – even if he only recalled fragments of them. Of course, he didn't remember everything – but there was enough to make him smile. He recalled explosions, castles, swordfights, a drop-dead gorgeous princess, being badass, and – last but not least – gratuitous amounts of harpy-stomping and banshee-slaying. Yep, it had been a wonderful dream indeed.

Now, however, it was time to get up and get to work. He had a lot to do today – he had to go voraciously assault several bowls of miso ramen in a fierce, predatory way, he had to go see the Hokage to see if there were any missions (and most likely engage in the promised 'little chat' if there weren't), he had to hunt that black-masked ANBU and interrog- no, _question_ him, he had to pay a visit to the memorial stone, and lastly he had convinced himself to drift around the village solving problems and fighting thieves and bullies in the most awesome way possible. All in all he had quite a busy schedule.

With an excited smile he leapt out of bed, quickly standing in front of mirror. He chuckled as he quickly channelled wind through his hair to get the mop of black as close to 'neat' as he could possibly go without walking the 'pretty boy' route, and with a snap of his fingers, the plain white shirt and boxers he'd slept in vanished and his outfit for the day wove itself into existence around his body.

Gods, he loved magic.

He made sure not to make his outfit too different. His denim pants were darker, the shuriken holsters were gone, and the skull on his belt was been traded in for a circular clasp with a star etched into it. He still wore an open-collared dress shirt (who wouldn't, after having many a fair maiden blush at how 'nicely' he 'cleaned up'?), opting for the color black, and the sleeves were still rolled up. Untidy as it might have looked, it was still less finicky, so he left it. He didn't bother tucking the shirt in, either. It became annoying when he had to fight. Perfectly neat appearances were, in his mind, for the fools who walked the aforementioned 'pretty boy' route, so he couldn't care less about appearing 'neat' and 'formal'.

He stopped to ponder something before he left, though. He wasn't travelling the outer lands anymore. He didn't need to worry about his whiskered face on wanted posters or his blonde, spiky mop of hair exposing him as a foreigner. He was back in Konoha – and while people like Ino and Sasuke still managed to recognize him by his eyes, he still couldn't help the feeling that it would be better to go back to the original look.

Besides, if he walked around with blonde hair and whisker marks on his face, he might just get mobbed again. That meant he could kick more ass – and that was always a bonus.

After thinking about the consequences of making himself look like the old Naruto for a bit less than a second, he grinned in a goofy manner and started to alter the glamour around his true face with a few muttered chants. Slowly, the mop of black started to recede slightly as the blonde streaks started to dominate the hair on his head. He grinned as the whisker marks he'd been stuck with since birth popped back into existence on his cheeks, and in no time he had resembled a teenage version of the blonde village pariah he had been years ago. Nodding to himself, he left his tent.

"Is it safe to assume you're done preening yourself?"

Naruto felt a cheerful grin spread across his lips when he heard the old, wizened voice drifting across the camp his siblings had set up. He didn't even need to see the person speaking – even after six years, the Third Hokage's voice wasn't a sound he'd easily forget. With a smile he turned to face his visitor. The old man had decided to drift close to the edge of the clearing, clad in the white robes and pointy hat that had slowly become his standard attire as he smoked his pipe. "You see, gramps," Naruto started, trying his best to impersonate someone thinking really hard about something. "I _would_ have been done and dusted by now, but… For some reason that comment makes me feel like doing it all over again," he said cheekily, failing to suppress the smile that bloomed on his face.

"Even if it means missing out on your first S-ranked mission?"

"Screw the preening, I look rugged and awesome enough! What's the job, gramps?!"

The old Hokage laughed softly as he saw Naruto's anticipation of his new task. He would admit, he had been shocked speechless for a moment when Naruto came out of his tent looking like a grown up version of how he looked six years ago, but the shock had soon been overcome by happiness at seeing the real visage of the boy who was always claiming he'd be the next Hokage. It warmed his old heart to see that it wasn't only the appearance that had reverted – Naruto was displaying all the childlike energy he normally had in the face of his first official 'S-ranked' mission.

"Your mission is one of vital importance, Naruto-kun," The old Hokage spoke happily as he turned and started to walk away from the makeshift camp, beckoning for Naruto to follow. "It is tied directly to the strength of our ninja ranks, and by extension, a part of the future of this village," he said, hoping that Naruto couldn't see the mischievous glint in his eye. "Your Master even agreed that this task is ideal for someone of your experience – after everything you must have seen, done and learned during your travels, I couldn't think of a better person to place on this mission…" He sighed. "Of all the people in this village, Naruto, I am the only one who knows exactly who and what your Master is, and even then, I only read as much in a book. Nonetheless, the fact that I have the agreement of the Undying Warlock himself proves that you are destined to play a role in this crucial mission."

The old Hokage chuckled softly as he walked, smiling at the energy Naruto was giving off as the boy started to exclaim how he was looking forward to his 'secret mission' and how he would ace it without trouble. He almost –_ almost_ – felt bad for not being up front with Naruto, but Archos _did_ say that Naruto would _vehemently_ protest against his task if he knew exactly what this 'S-rank' mission entailed. But the Undying Warlock had insisted that there was no better task for Naruto to carry out in service of his village. The Hokage sighed with a smile as they walked towards one of the other training grounds.

After all… Who was he to argue with an archmage of legend about what's best for his disciple?

* * *

The minute they stepped into the training ground, Naruto's energetic attitude calmed down a bit. The young ninja-mage found it weird that he'd be assigned an S-rank mission in the middle of a training ground. He found it even more disconcerting that said training ground was full of Genin practicing katas and sparring with one another. "Don't worry, Naruto," the old Hokage huffed. "This is just a… a joint training session," he said with a smile. "The three Jonin you see here will be your comrades during this mission."

Naruto, wholly trusting the one man who'd actually shown him care and compassion in his life before the Academy, believed him. He _was_ still twelve, after all.

"Naruto-kun!" The young ninja-mage was startled when someone happily called his name, and he looked at the training genin to see Ino waving happily at him, pausing during her spar against Sakura – who, unsurprisingly, had one of the most shocked expressions in history on her face. Choji and Shikamaru were also quick to wave at him, and he answered with a mock salute as he followed the Hokage forwards. He decided to look at all the other genin in the training grounds. He quickly recognized Kiba Inuzuka, who was currently expressing his disbelief rather loudly. "Wha-No way! That's Naruto?!" He also caught sight of Shino Aburame, who gave him a curt nod, and Naruto couldn't help but feel like a lab rat being analysed from behind those glasses. He caught sight of Sasuke, who was glaring at him, but had the common courtesy to give Naruto a curt nod as well before returning to his training. Only then did Naruto catch sight of a small person half standing beside Shino and half hiding behind him. It took him a while, but Naruto finally recognized the shy young girl as Hinata Hyūga, a girl who seemed to blush whenever she was near him during his brief stint in the Academy.

He cringed slightly at the memory. Gods, Borgia was going to have a field day with him if he ever found out about Hinata.

The only person he couldn't recognize for the life of him was the young pale boy who was currently sitting in the shade, drawing something on a scroll. Pale was a bit of an understatement – Naruto wondered if the boy knew what the terms 'outside' and 'in the sun' meant at all. Other than that, most of the people from his academy class were present and accounted for. This joint training session looked really effective – going by the way Sakura and Ino were panting slightly, he assumed they'd been sparring quite viciously. "These are nine of the genin who form the Konoha 12," the Hokage spoke with a hint of pride in his voice. "The other three and their Jonin sensei are out on a mission, but your task is quite a long one – I assume they'll be back in time for their sensei to assist in your mission," he said with a wry smile as he pointed to three people standing near the edge of the clearing, observing the nine genin training.

Being the healthy, growing male that he was, Naruto's eyes first fell on the sole woman in the group. She looked… oddly exotic, in the boy's opinion, with her untamed dark hair and unique eyes. Naruto's brother Borgia had taught him restraint, self-control and… some semblance of decency towards the opposite sex with near animalistic ferocity – and he was sure that, had his brother decided to relent, the woman's attire would have made his tongue hang out. She was showing quite a bit of skin, even if there was no cleav- _No!_ Naruto mentally slapped himself, closed his eyes and shook the thoughts away. _Decency, Naruto, decency! Stop acting like a ravenous pervert!_ He said as he looked away from the woman.

Next, he looked at the tallest person in the group, and immediately his eyes narrowed. The only thing about the man that stood out was the sash around his waist. Other than that, he seemed like the standard Jonin – sure, his sleeves were rolled halfway up but that was hardly anything that stood out. He had short, black, spiky hair and a bear with black eyes – even more ordinary traits. Naruto did several visual evaluations over and over again, but still couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. The man seemed completely normal – so Naruto did the logical thing and put him right at the top of the list of 'People to Watch Out For'.

The last person was, much to Naruto's disgust – and at the same time, some twisted form of admiration – reading a small orange book that Naruto knew for a fact was nothing other than porn with a plot. Safaia bought one when they entered the Elemental Nations – needless to say, the campfire that night reeked of burnt paper. The man was some kind of enigma, to be honest – while his attire also consisted of what seemed to be standard shinobi attire, a mask obscured half of his face and he was wearing his forehead protector in – in Naruto's opinion, at least – the most awesome way possible. Naruto also noted with interest that the man's hair was silver – that was something he didn't see often, even outside the Elemental Nations.

The Hokage stopped when the woman looked up, and motioned for them to come close. The man with sash around his waist dropped the remains of his cigarette to the ground and stomped on it, and the silver-haired man put away his book slightly drooped shoulders before all three of them started walking towards the old man. "I want you to meet your comrades for this mission, Naruto," the old Hokage grinned as the three stopped in front of him, each addressing him with a respectful 'Hokage-sama', and the woman with the red eyes bowed slightly. "This," he said, beckoning to the man with the sash around his waist, "is Asuma Sarutobi, Jonin Sensei of Team 10. This," he held his motioned to the red-eyed woman, "is Kurenai Yūhi, Jonin Sensei of Team 8, and this," he motioned to the silver haired man, "is Kakashi Hatake, Jonin Sensei of Team 7."

"Yo," Naruto said with a cheerful smile as he looked at the three. He decided that, if he was going to make an impression, he might as well show _some_ modesty. After all, this might be the only chance he'd get to show his new comrades that he _could_, in fact, be more than just a snarky, energetic kid in a teen's body. "Guess you're stuck with me, huh? I'll try my best not to be a burden."

"Hokage-sama informed us that you trained outside the Elemental Nations," Kurenai said with a soft smile. "I doubt you'd be much of a burden. I'm actually quite interested in seeing your skills."

"I second that," Asuma said with a chuckle as he lit up another cigarette. "Ino's already told me about you. She was real excited when she started babbling about how 'cool' Naruto had become. I want to see just how much of that wasn't exaggeration."

"You said he had a mission with us, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked lazily as he gave Naruto a respectful nod. "S-rank, if I'm not mistaken?"

"It _is_ S-rank, in a way," The Hokage chuckled as he pointed at Naruto. "But only for him. It should be about D-rank for you three and Gai-san." This statement confused everyone present – none more so than Naruto himself. The Hokage chuckled again when Naruto turned to face him with a surprised 'Huh?' and turned to face the three Jonin again. "Asuma-san, Kurenai-san, Kakashi-san… I would like you to meet your new aide."

Despite the fact that nine people were training not too far off, one could hear a pin drop in the silence that followed the Hokage's statement, until Naruto – face pale and voice shaky – decided to break it.

"…Wait, _what_?!"

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

**Goodness, I swear, I am **_**never**_** writing such a massive chapter ever again. This one just didn't want to reach its end mark – it was murder. **

**Oh well, at least it's out now. Several points I'm a tad fearful of:**

**On Sasuke: Sasuke's a very difficult character for me to portray realistically, because half of the fanfics I read portray him as the biggest c**t this side of the equator while the other half has him redeem himself and, in doing so, act so out of character it's almost not funny. Any opinions on how I portray him will be greatly appreciated – I want to make the most out of this fic.**

**The length: As stated before – never again. I'm really sorry if such a large chapter is difficult to read.**

**On Hiashi: He's also quite difficult to portray, so I kept his actions in this chapter to a minimum. He's almost always portrayed as someone with… I think 'stick' doesn't do it justice, so let's say he's mostly portrayed as a stern old tyrant with a lamppost up his posterior. I'll try portraying him to the best of my ability, but I will greatly appreciate any critique regarding his appearance in this chapter.**

**The Four O.C's/Naruto's 'Family': Yes, I know four O.C's is a tad tedious, but I chose the lesser of two evils, in my opinion. Because this fic is going to focus on magic and how it contrasts ninjutsu, I want to display a lot of different types of abilities and magics. So I had a choice: Either create O.C's to display them, or create a typical 'God-Mode' Naruto and have him stomp everyone in the story. I think my choice is obvious by now. I know most people find O.C's unbearable, so I'll do my best to make them likeable characters. I've already decided not to pair them off with anyone, either – I'm not **_**that**_** vain. However, if their reception turns out okay I might consider it. Any feedback on them is welcome – I really want to make them bearable, likeable characters, and critique from the readers is the best way to accomplish that.**

**Archos: Yes, he's a typical God-Mode Sue. I know that. That was the plan from the get-go. To placate this raging cliché, I'm having him stick to the side-lines. His only role in this story is to teach Naruto and his 'siblings' and to offer guidance to those willing to ask it. Because he is so powerful I will **_**not**_** have him interfering with any story aspect – I've got, at most, two fights planned out for him across this fic **_**and**_** the Shippuden fic. **

**Well then, you guys will find two polls on my profile page:**

**One has to do with the spells I use/make up. I know I am not proficient in many languages – I'm South African, I'm hardly even a master in English, let alone languages like Latin and Japanese. I'm currently using Google Translate to create spells and jutsu, but Google Translate is about as broken as the local political system so I'm leaving the option to the readers: Do I stick to multilingual spells, or do I go English-all-the-way?**

**The second poll has to do with the fates of Haku and Zabuza. I'm leaving that up to the readers as well. **_**Bear in mind, though**_: **I am not portraying Haku as a girl. His canonical gender is male, so I'm sticking to that. **

…

**Well, that's that. Thank you all for time and patience and I hope you enjoy the update. I will do my best to keep to a schedule from here on out.**

**Until then, farewell,**

**-Chaos.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter III  
Changes**

Silence was not something Naruto Uzumaki was fond of. In his travels around the world, he'd come to associate the absence of sound with a lot of negative elements – silence before a storm, silence before an ambush, or directly after, when the repercussions were discovered. There was silence at funerals or in the cold, dead wake of massive battles – the latter was a particularly morbid memory for the young ninja-mage. Silence meant sorrow, or loss, or pity – it meant shock, fear, and misery, and to his knowledge, silence very rarely translated to anything positive. Yet now… Now he couldn't help but appreciate it.

The area around the memorial stone was silent – not a bird in the sky, not a single breeze to dance across the grass, and not a soul in sight. That was _exactly_ how Naruto preferred it as he struggled against the tightness in his throat. It wasn't a new feeling to him – he'd felt it countless times in the past six years, but this time… This time was different. This time the loss was _personal_… at least, as personal as it could have been before he left the village.

The young boy was on one knee in front of the memorial stone. After the introductions, he'd been given a few hours 'off' by the Hokage as the old man tried to explain the truth about him to the three Jonin-senseis he'd be assisting, so he took the opportunity to visit the stone – he swore to himself that he'd pay his respects to the ANBU who died the day he left, and he came to the stone with that goal in mind. What he found during that time, though, was enough to leave the boy feeling as though he'd been stabbed in the gut. He was going through the names of the ANBU who had passed away when he reached the one engraving that left him speechless.

'_Iruka Umino_'.

The name had hit him like a landslide and memories came pouring back. He'd barely been in the academy for six months at the time, and in the beginning it didn't seem as though Iruka would've treated him any differently than the other teachers. Then that group of brats played that sick joke on him – and it led to him being chased by three women from Taki. Iruka had saved him that day, and afterwards… Afterwards the two of them had grown close. Naruto had been planning to pop in to visit his old teacher when he got the chance – but now he learned the man was dead, and for some reason, it left him feeling hollow.

"I was wondering when you'd see that," a voice spoke up from behind him. Naruto didn't need to turn around – he recognized the voice: The black-masked ANBU member from before - he one who gave him the information on Sasuke. It helped that Naruto saw him coming – ninjas could mask their chakra and conceal themselves, yes, but there were some things they couldn't hide. "Your reaction surprises me."

"…What happened?" Naruto asked, his voice low. "Who did it?" The memorial stone was engraved with the names of those who lost their lives in service to the village – the fact that Iruka's name was there meant he did _not_ die because of some mundane reason.

"Root." The answer was short and curt, but it was all Naruto needed. He felt rage boiling inside him – rage he hadn't felt in a long time. His fists clenched and his heart hammered in his chest, but he kept a straight face. He closed his eyes as memories flooded into his mind in tandem with the anger – memories of screaming, crying, furious yelling and blood, and the sounds of steel rending flesh and bone. He shook his head slightly and fought the anger inside him – it would not do to snap. Not _again_.

"…Why?" He asked, as calmly as he could. "…Why would they kill him?"

"Treason, in their eyes," the ANBU spoke up, coughing afterwards. "When you left, the Third fell into depression. The position of Hokage was filled by a man named Danzo Shimura – the one who founded Root. Soon after he came to power, he halted any and all searches for you, claiming it to be a waste of resources. He was one of the few who believed you left because you _wanted_ to – and given your appearance, I'm inclined to believe he was correct."

"What does that have to do with Iruka?" Naruto asked softly, once again looking at the memorial stone.

"Iruka was one of the few people who _didn't_ celebrate your disappearance. He found the festivals and celebrations that followed that night to be despicable, and whenever the subject of Naruto Uzumaki popped up in his classes he was quick to defend you," the ANBU spoke. "Most parents… weren't very happy with that. They associated you with the figure that killed all those ANBU six years ago. They tried to convince their children that you were a monster – a demon in human form." The ANBU paused, coughing softly. "Iruka-san… refused to stand for that. One day he gathered all his students… and he told them your story. He told them everything, really – about the Kyūbi no Yōko, and how it was sealed inside you, about your life under the hatred of the village, and more. He told them _why_ you wanted to be Hokage so badly, and he begged them not to judge you. He begged them to see you as Naruto Uzumaki, and not as the Demon Fox."

"And Danzo had him killed because of it…" Naruto frowned. His heart clenched at the revelation. Rage was flowing through him again, and it took every ounce of his will to keep the currents of blue-tinted magic beneath his glamor. Iruka was killed for trying to redeem him in the eyes of the younger students. Iruka was killed for _helping him_. The thought of it was enough to make the young ninja-mage bristle. Again, memories poured into his mind – memories of screams and blood and murder. He shook his head again – those thoughts would not do now. Not here. Not at the memorial stone.

"Iruka-san broke the Third's law," the ANBU said sadly. "He was executed because his actions took a turn for the worst, Uzumaki-san. Several academy students did as he wished… but they were a minority. The rest took on their parents' mindsets. They started branding you a demon, spitting on your name. The fact that you were associated with your master at the time…" He paused. "It did not help much. In Danzo's eyes, Iruka's actions cost you the support of most of the current generation – ninja and civilian alike. It took the already low chance of you staying after coming back and lowered it even further. To him, Iruka's actions had a chance of costing Konoha one of its greatest potential t-" He paused, before continuing. "One of Konoha's greatest potential defenders."

Naruto remained silent. He wanted to snap, to scream and swear vengeance against Danzo Shimura. He wanted to harbour hatred and loathing, but… Everything he'd learned in the past prevented him from doing so. "He isn't Hokage anymore… Is he?" Naruto mused, and surprise filtered into his mind as he felt his anger dissipate.

"No. True, the village blossomed in several areas under his rule," the ANBU spoke, "but his actions nearly led to war with Kumogakure. The threat of imminent war was enough to snap the Third out of his depression, and Danzo was removed from the position through lack of support and the insistence of the Raikage. The Third has been keeping the peace between the two villages since then."

"…This sucks…" Naruto said bitterly. "Y'know what… Fuck it. Looks like I've got a new reason to help Sasuke pick Root apart…" He said as he stood up, his anger leaving him completely. Iruka died trying to show the village that he was not a monster – losing his mind and raging about was no way to act after hearing that. He'd prove his old sensei correct. He was going to show everyone in Konoha just how much he had changed. He'd succumbed to his anger once in the past – _never_ again; especially not so close to his beloved home.

"…I thought he'd decide something like that…" The ANBU mused as he spoke. "I hoped so as well. Uzumaki-san… I will aid you. I will help you and Uchiha-san bring an end to Root."

"Y'know, that actually makes my 'Suspicion Senses' go wild," Naruto turned to face the man with a raised brow. "I heard a little rumour about you, y'know. Despite the mask and the sword, you're no ANBU…"

"I never said I was," the man nodded. "It helps confuse people. ANBU who aren't fanatical in their hatred of your new master are rare, so people trust them. In truth, I… I've been relieved of duty, Uzumaki-san. I am no longer a 'ninja' of Konoha – merely a civilian who's good with a sword."

"Tch. What got you kicked?" Naruto asked as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I… I made a hobby of hunting Root agents after Danzo came into power," the man spoke, and Naruto could _hear_ the frown on his face. "It was my manner of coping – most of my friends died six years ago." He looked away. "Something went wrong a few years back. I was fed false information… and I ended up killing a few innocents – my lover's last remaining friends."

"Shit, that sucks," Naruto mused with a sad chuckle. "No wonder Sasuke flinched when I mentioned you. How many did you kill?"

"Three," the masked man answered hesitantly. "But… One was pregnant. That made my crime all the worse."

"Honestly…" Naruto sighed. "I dunno what to say, bro. Murderers can't judge murderers, so harping at you is out…" He paused. "You helped me once already, and you've got a grudge against Root. That makes you okay in my books… Your past doesn't matter to me," he said with a weary shrug. The masked man paused momentarily, before nodding in gratitude for Naruto's open-mindedness. "Just one thing…" Naruto mused. "If we're gonna be doing business I need a name."

"Will 'Sword' do?" The man asked dryly.

"Creative," Naruto said with a bored expression as he turned to face the memorial stone again. "But I can't complain. I've got help against the bastards who killed Iruka-sensei," he said with a determined expression, his mind finally devoid of anger. "I'm starting to like where this is going," he said, offering a last, respectful nod at the stone before turning around. "I'll let Sasuke know you're on board. Since I let him know you killed a Root operative, he's been pretty set on having some words with you." Naruto started to walk away with a smile. "Until then, I'll try to keep in touch, Sword," he said with a wave.

Sword merely nodded, before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Naruto had managed to walk to the end of the clearing before he chuckled slightly. "How much of that did you hear?" He asked as he turned to face the presence to his side.

"A fair bit." With a grin, Borgia, the man Naruto saw as an older brother, stood up straight, pushing himself off the tree he was leaning against. "I'm surprised that 'Sword' idiot didn't notice I was here," he said with a grin as he started to walk alongside his adopted brother. "I wasn't really trying to hide, y'know…" Naruto sighed when his brother said that.

"Sure you weren't…" Naruto rolled his eyes as they walked away from the clearing.

* * *

The trip back to the village streets had been filled with friendly banter between the two. Much to Naruto's ire, Borgia had yet to stop chuckling at the fact that young boy had been made a 'glorified punching bag', in the older man's words. "Shut it! It's bad enough as it is. Jeez, I've only recently gotten back on track with my ninja training after… Tch. Fact is, I've only recently started again. How can I be qualified to help other ninjas become _better_ ninjas when I'm hardly a moderate ninja myself?"

"Simple," Borgia grinned. "True, you can't teach them magic, but we _have_ been hammering that fighting style into that tiny little skull o' yours. Use that, use your weapons, conjure summons – hell, use your own magic _against_ them. Sure, it's a little unfair, but it'll still give them a very versatile opponent to train against. You're a jack-of-all-trades, Naru – work with that. If it's enough to impress the hell out of Master, it's enough to help you 'aide' the rest of the runts here," he grinned. "You matched blades with several strong people out there, boyo – don't put yourself down. You might only be a half-assed ninja, but you're one fuckin' strong individual."

Naruto frowned slightly as he walked. "I'm still worried, though… I… I still don't trust myself too much. If I get too attached to these guys, and something happens…" He shuddered slightly. "It unnerves me."

"I can tell," the older of the two nodded. "I saw a lot back there. I saw you flinch a few times, and your anger spiked quite a bit," Borgia said softly. "You thought back to Shrinehurst, didn't you?" Naruto didn't answer, instead opting to lower his gaze to the ground. "You did… But you kept your emotions down. Master would've been proud if he saw."

"…There's nothing to be proud about," Naruto said sullenly. "It's always there, in the back of my mind. Whenever I get angry I keep seeing what I did there… And then I can't stop thinking about it."

"I know it's difficult, lad," Borgia spoke as he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Recovering from something like that is never easy – it shouldn't be," he said. "You _need_ to understand, Naruto: Those assholes were asking for it. When they led you to their fucked up celebration they meant it as a _taunt_ knowing full well that you were a student of the Undying Warlock _and_ a half-breed Veneficus," he said sternly. "Lori wasn't their first victim, boyo. People like those are the scum of the world – they exercise some false kind of judgement because they believe their idea of what's 'right' and what's 'unnatural' is flawless and true. I know you think what you did isn't a 'good thing', boyo – but you prevented those savages from hurting anyone ever again. That's sure as shit not a bad thing."

"I… I know…" Naruto said softly. "It's just… It still feels wrong. It feels like I disappointed them both."

"You didn't, lad," Borgia said sincerely. "If anything, you helped them both – and a lot of other people at that. I would've done the same thing, boyo," he said as they both stopped. The streets were oddly deserted, but Naruto didn't complain. He preferred it that way. "Those bastards hurt Saf, Naruto. They hurt her in a way that she might never recover from – you simply gave them their dues. I know how close you and Saf were to Lori, Naruto, and I know she wouldn't want you to beat yourself up like this."

"…I'm scared, bro…" Naruto admitted softly. "I'm already hated here… What if people found out?"

"They won't," Borgia insisted. "We're the only ones who know, and Master's made damn sure none of that mind-probing bullshit will prove otherwise. Anyone who tries that is in for a _real_ nasty surprise." He paused before smiling at his 'brother'. "Have faith, boyo. You're loved in a lot of places despite what you did. I don't doubt for a second that this place is any different. As soon as people warm up to the new you, it's smooth sailing, and your past will be just that: past."

Despite his fears, Naruto cracked a smile. He'd known Borgia for six years now, and not once had the 'leader' of their little group failed to cheer him up somehow – and he made sense. Many small towns and villages around the world knew what happened at Shrinehurst, and yet they all disregarded it. He'd proved himself through some of the hardest trials he could imagine – villages that despised the existence of 'magical beings' like himself had started to applaud him and his siblings whenever he walked through the gate, and other cities and towns that cursed the name of the Undying Warlock had all but dropped their animosity towards him and hailed him as a hero. Surely, if he could manage that, he could manage this village – _his_ village, his beloved home – without any trouble at all? His smile grew. He'd experienced _far_ worse than what Konoha had subjected him to in the Outer Lands – and each and every time he quelled the hate and rose above it.

Konoha would be no different.

He'd show them what he was made of. He'd show them that he was an _exact_ opposite – of both the Kyūbi and his Master.

His smile was practically splitting his face in two by now. With renewed gusto, he looked back up at the man he'd been calling 'brother' for the past six years. "Thanks, bro. I… I needed that."

"I don't joke when I say you're my brother," Borgia grinned. "We're a family, Naruto. We look out for one another," he said sincerely. "We've stood with you for the past six years, and we don't plan on stopping anytime soon."

The words were enough to bring the young boy out of the rut he was stuck in. Naruto smiled happily as he and his brother continued to walk through the village. Soon enough the streets started to fill up, and he was met with an entire slew of stares and glares, ranging from shock to confusion to pure loathing. The eyes tried boring into his soul from every direction – but it was useless. Naruto didn't need to worry about mistreatment or malice. He didn't need to worry at all. After all…

He had his new family with him. He was ready for _anything_.

His smile remained plastered on his face as he strolled through the village in silence. He'd occasionally hear a remark aimed at him or his brother, but it didn't faze him. After all, Borgia was practically immune to insults, and the older man's presence alone made Naruto feel as though he was being shielded in a way. He'd even chuckle every now and then whenever Borgia interacted with the civilians around them. Nobody took anything _too_ far though – anyone who'd try to aggravate a man with two swords and an ornate bow was outright stupid.

Just then, Naruto noticed something weird. "The hell?" He muttered with a confused expression. "We're in the Elemental Nations… There shouldn't _be_ any undead husks shambling - Oh, wait. That's not an undead…"

Borgia chuckled as he turned his attention to the object of Naruto's interest. "Nah. That's just a disbelieving wench with a massive hangover," he said with a grin. "Her name's Mitarashi, apparently." Naruto winced slightly. Whoever this Mitarashi-woman was, she'd clearly seen better days. "She must be _really_ under the weather," Borgia noticed with a wry grin. "Yesterday she had her hair in this weird ponytail, now it's all loose and frizzy… and she's got her skirt on backwards."

"Tch," Naruto frowned slightly. "Trust you to focus on the face and the skirt first…" He muttered. "_Please_ tell me you're not planning on bedding her…"

"What? Fuck no," Borgia said with an earnest expression. "Gods, that'd be like breaking a mirror – bad luck all around. That's a no-go in my opinion. 'Sides, she's a bit stab-happy from what I deduced last night."

"Last… night?" Naruto asked sceptically.

"_Bar,_ boyo," the elder of the two sighed as he ran his hand down his face. "We were at a _bar_. Then Saf called, I paid for the rest of her drinks and," he paused as he watched the Mitarashi-woman's figure shamble towards them, "it looks like she got a tad shitfaced. Guess now we know she can't outdrink me," he grinned.

"_Nobody_ can outdrink you," Naruto said in exasperation. "And I hope to whichever gods are still alive that nobody gets the smart idea to try and prove otherwise."

"You just killed half my fun with that hope, you know…"

"I don't care!" Naruto almost yelled. "Last time you took part in a drinking competition, the bar went belly-up, you smacked the protestors with killing intent and we got attacked by an exorcist who thought you were possessed by something!"

"Fun times," Borgia shrugged with a smirk. "You screamed like a girl when he started chucking holy fire at us…"

"With good reason!" Naruto said through gritted teeth. "Holy fire hurts! A _lot_! We're not exactly free of sin, you know, we could've-"

"Aw _shut up_ already…"

Naruto swallowed his words almost immediately when the harsh, crabby female voice sounded from a few feet in front of them, and he turned his attention to the source of the voice. Sure enough, the Mitarashi-woman had stopped in front of them to reprimand them… although she still looked out of it. Naruto doubted the woman even knew who she was speaking to. "It's too damn early for this…" She muttered, rubbing her eye with the back of her hand.

"Drank too much, eh?" Borgia asked with a cocky smile, prompting the Mitarashi-woman to look up and frown when she recognized him.

"Oh it's _way_ too fucking early for this," the grumbled as she glared at Naruto's older sibling.

"I'm guessing I made a shitty first impression?" Borgia grinned as he dug his hands into the pockets of the dark cargo pants he wore.

"You fed me alcohol and bullshit stories until you _broke_ me," the woman replied. "And then you left me there while the bartender shoved even _more_ alcohol down my throat… and now I've got the world's worst hangover. I hope you fall over and die soon…"

Borgia snorted in amusement as he turned to face Naruto. "That makes number fifty, boyo. You owe me money," he grinned before turning back to the woman. "By the way, only half those stories were bullshit. Good to see they worked, though."

"You told her?" Naruto sighed and ran his hand down his face. "You _told her_ after Master told us _not_ to flaunt what we can do…"

"Oh he _flaunted_ it, all right…" The Mitarashi-woman said with a sneer. "He smacked the bar with enough killing intent to make the ANBU there shiver."

"Master's gonna kill you," Naruto said flatly. "No, scratch that, _Kahn_ is gonna kill you. No, _Victor_ is gonna kill you. Mind you, why don't _I_ kill you and just get it over with for you?" He asked with a whine. His brother laughed at the suggestion.

"You're talking as though you _can_, boyo," He grinned. "Weren't _you_ the one who was 'flaunting' his conjured weapons against a group of civvies? Besides, I've got a friendly bartender on my side who'll tell everyone she was drunk off her ass when we spoke. Nobody's gonna believe her," he said with a wry smile.

"We're gonna be here for a while, bro," Naruto said dryly. "If people don't believe her _now_, they will soon enough. Gods know some of them are already asshurt about Master's appearance back then," he grumbled before turning to face the woman. "I'm _really_ sorry about what my brother did to you. He sees it as a self-imposed challenge to make people hate him through mundane means. Drinking marks number fifty," he groaned. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, by the way."

"Naruto Uzumaki…" The woman seemed to think as hard as she could in her current state. "Yeah, you look like the guy in the pictures. Only older," she sighed. "I'm Anko Mitarashi. Tokubetsu Jonin." She frowned at the eldest of the three. "Is it natural for me to hate him so soon?"

"Yeah, but that'll change soon, trust me," Naruto sighed. "Hate's just the first stage. Then comes loathing, and then an innate _need_ to kill him. You can ask the hundreds of other people he's pissed off to testify."

"I'm standing right here, y'know?" Borgia commented with a bored tone. "By the way, Anko, you just lost the game."

"What game?"

"I know your name now," Borgia smirked as he walked on. "I _love_ it when people are hung over."

Anko fixed the man a glare. "Piss off. I'm not in the mood for your games…"

Naruto chuckled as he set after his brother. "We need to go meet up with the Hokage and the Jonin I'm supposed to assist again. You feel like tagging along?"

"…You need to assist Jonin?" Anko blinked as she wearily set about following Naruto and his older brother. "Why? Weren't you gone for six years?" She knew Naruto was still born in the village, but going by the true half of what Borgia had told her the night before, the boy _definitely_ hadn't been trained in any ninja arts. "I thought you'd be like him?" She beckoned to Borgia. "A wizard and stuff," she said softly. The streets _were_ kind of full now, after all.

"Should you really say that out loud?" Borgia called back to her with a raised eyebrow. "People might not know all about it… What if one of those elite masked pussies hear you?"

"One of those so-called 'pussies' has been assigned to guard Saf, bro," Naruto shrugged. "If she knows, chances are all of them will know soon. Also I don't think Uzuki-san will approve being called that. She has a sword, you know. Women with swords are scary," he said with a slight shudder as he turned to speak to Anko again. "Anyhow, _yes_, I can do what Borgia can do-"

"To a small extent…" Borgia cut in.

"-to a small extent, yes," Naruto said as he glared at his so-called brother's back. "But I've been teaching myself ninja arts during my spare time while I was away. I don't know _much_, but I'm making progress." He smiled as he looked at all the different stores and houses in the street. "Master made sure my body could work as both that of a ninja and a mage properly," he whispered. "He even made sure I kept my old elemental affinity, _and_ he gave me a second one," Naruto smiled. "Though if I didn't know him any better I'd say he was being funny when he gave me the second one…"

"Maybe he was," Borgia called back again. "Or maybe he was trying to make sure you couldn't be as irresponsible with your ninja techniques as you were with your _other_ techniques. Water and wind don't exactly spread at alarming rates and reduce cities to cinders and ash, y'know…"

"Irresponsible?" Anko raised an eyebrow at Borgia's words. "How?"

"First time boyo managed a high-level fire move he lost his shit," the eldest of the three said with a shrug. "Oh, and he burned down a courthouse… and the shop next to it… and a random dude's cart… and-"

"She gets it already!" Naruto barked with an indignant expression. "Besides, I was seven! _Seven!_ You can't blame a seven-year-old for losing his shit when he finally fires a damn backdraft out of his palm!" He huffed. "Jeez, would you cut me some slack? Saf already goes to town on that," he said with a frown. "How's water supposed to stop me from being 'irresponsible' anyhow?!"

"Simply because you don't like it," Borgia shrugged. "Master's pragmatic like that."

"Water…" Anko mused. "I guess that means one of your affinities is Suiton?" She asked.

"Yep," Naruto answered with a shrug. "Suiton and Fūton. I don't have that many techniques, though. I _had_ more, but… Meh. Setbacks and stuff. I've been focusing more on the basics since then - Kawarimi, Henge, tree walking, water walking, that stuff. That's why I didn't want the job in the first place. Currently… I suck as a ninja."

Anko sighed and rubbed her eyes again. "Then how are you supposed to help teach the brats?"

"That's what I asked as well," Naruto said with a tired expression. "Gramps used some big, fancy words to describe _why_ I'm such an 'ideal person for the job', but basically it just means 'You've got experience and skills they don't know – use those to help them get better'… which still makes absolutely no sense."

"Didn't I just explain it earlier, boyo?" Borgia called back.

"That reason sucked just as much!" Naruto growled. "I mean, yeah, I've got some fighting styles down, but said styles aren't going to help them with ninjutsu and genjutsu. At best I'll be a moving, defending practice dummy," he sighed. "Which is going to suck."

"…I think I can think about another reason," Anko mumbled as she walked, placing a hand against her forehead. "Just let me think about it. I need to figure out how to word it."

"It's a long way to the training grounds… Take your time," Naruto shrugged. "Any reason's better than 'Be their punching bag' until they make Chunin."

"You say Hokage-sama came up with the idea?" Anko asked him.

"Yeah… But I've got a sinking feeling Master had a hand in it," Naruto grumbled. "We've been shanghaied into situations like these a lot of times before – I wouldn't be surprised if he's the one who _suggested_ this job in the first place."

"I think…" Anko started. "Look at it this way, Naruto: A man who killed over half of Konoha's ANBU ranks six years ago took you away from here and trained the shit out of you since then. If you're anything like him – hell, if you're anything like Borgia said you are – then there's _no chance_ you're netting yourself a Genin rank anytime soon," she said flatly, her palm still against her forehead as she thought through a massive headache. "But, if you're as unskilled as you say in terms of being a ninja, there's no way you're going to net a Chunin rank either. If I'm right, Hokage-sama sees this as an opportunity for… er…" She paused. "Mutual growth. You, through teaching them taijutsu and helping them hone their abilities, gain more experience and skills while they, through your help, achieve the same feats." She sighed suddenly. "Fuck, now my head hurts way more."

"…If that's right…" Naruto pondered aloud. "Then I take it back. If _that's_ why I'm stuck as an aide, Master definitely had a hand in this." He paused. "Still… If Gramps agreed then I guess it's in my best interests. I _do_ still want to be a ninja – and I can't be one if I suck as one," he sighed before looking back to his brother. "The fact that someone with a hangover makes more sense than you worries me!"

"And the fact that _you_ understand someone with hangover more than you understand me is just as worrying," Borgia called back, shrugging.

"Not so _loud_," Anko hissed as she kept her palm placed against her forehead. "I've still got that hangover here…"

"It's not my fault you don't know when to stop with the booze," Borgia shrugged. "I mean, sure, I told the guy to keep your glass full, but that didn't mean you had to clear out his store. That's just irresponsible." He paused. "So either learn from it or get used to it, lass – because if you're going to hit the booze every time I tell you something major, I feel sorry for your liver."

"Tch," Anko grouched as she glared at the man. "Asshole. I'm thinking I got smashed last night just so I'd stop hearing your voice."

"Really now?" The reply came. "Because right now you've got a headache and you're _still_ hearing my voice… So how's that solution working out for you?"

"Just _shut up_ already!" Anko growled. "Do you ever stop talking?!"

"Depends. Do you ever dress decently? By the way, your skirt's on backwards."

Naruto sighed and palmed his face again as the two kept bickering. _So much for Master's insistence on maturity…_ He thought dryly as he looked at the two. Anko seemed to be in her early twenties, and Borgia was slowly but surely nearing forty. Naruto himself was only twelve and even _he_ was showcasing more maturity than the two. _Great… Just great… I hope this trip goes quick. Either Anko-san's gonna try to kill him or some other poor idiot's gonna – Wait, where the fuck did those kunai come from?!_

As he rushed to diffuse the situation in front of him, Naruto sincerely hoped that there were more fools and dumbasses on the road ahead. If Borgia was stuck taunting Anko for the duration of the trip, they _might_ just be a tad late…

* * *

Being part of the ANBU ranks, Yūgao Uzuki was someone who seldom made mistakes. In her line of work, even the slightest error in information or the shortest stint of carelessness during observation could lead to catastrophic consequences. She'd seen situations where the slightest form of underestimation had led to entire squads dying gruesomely, and she'd been part of operations where the objective had been so greatly overestimated that the mission itself was less of a duty and more of a waste of resources. Yet despite this, Yūgao still prided herself as a person who was honest enough to admit when she made a mistake or a miscalculation.

Because of that, she had to admit that when she agreed to take the assignment of acting as a foreign woman's 'glorified guard dog', in her opinion, she _might_ just have been a tad too negative about it.

Granted, walking around in the open still made her feel a bit uneasy – she _was_ an ANBU, after all – but so far this day had taken the normal monotony and irritation of a standard escort mission and kicked it right out of the window – all because of the pale, blue-haired woman walking next to her with a smile on her face as she took in the sights of the village.

Safaia was one of the more interesting charges Yūgao had escorted in her life. She was also one of the more amusing ones – that mage Archos had made it clear that Safaia was the most studious of the group, hands down. What he had _neglected_ to tell her was that there were times when the blue-haired woman could act a bit… odd. Scatter-brained would even qualify as an appropriate description of the young woman during those times. That behaviour had been most apparent that morning, when Yūgao had left to meet up with Safaia as she was required to do.

X-X-X-X-X

When she stepped into the clearing where their tents were set up, she found Safaia sitting cross-legged with an open book on her lap and a look of pure concentration and focus on her face.

She was also floating upside-down, ten feet in the air.

That alone was enough to make Yūgao pause in confusion for a moment as she observed her charge floating through the air, rotating and turning, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she wasn't rooted to the ground. When she had called out to the woman, Saf merely looked up – or down – at her and smiled happily. "Oh hi! I'm almost done memorizing this – I'll just be a moment." And then she went right back to whatever she was reading, _still_ not realizing that she was floating despite the fact that Yūgao was sure _she_ appeared upside-down in the young woman's view.

At that point Yūgao had been grateful for the fact that she had acquired a new mask – even she didn't want to know exactly how the perplexed expression on her face looked. It was jarring, in all honesty – either Safaia legitimately wasn't aware that she was floating in an open clearing for everyone to see, or she simply didn't care. Either way, Yūgao had to rein in an exasperated sigh. It didn't take the blue-haired woman too long to finish up, though. With a happy smile she closed the book and looked down to Yūgao again. "Sorry about that," she chirped. "Runic barriers aren't something you just put down and pick up again later. Stuff's complex," she said with a cheerful tone.

"Okay…" Yūgao responded carefully. "Uh… Safaia?"

"Hm?" The woman responded with a happy smile, eyes shut.

"…You're floating."

"Wha…?" Safaia opened her eyes and looked 'down', seeing nothing but blue sky. Then she looked 'up', saw Yūgao on the ground, and realization flashed through her cerulean eyes. "…Oh, dammit." With those words she sighed and quickly righted herself in mid-air before floating down and landing in front of her escort. "Uh… Sorry," she said bashfully. "Didn't notice."

X-X-X-X-X

Looking back at the morning's occurrence, Yūgao bit back an exasperated sigh and settled on 'obliviousness' instead of 'indifference' on her charge's behalf.

Despite the fact that some of Safaia's actions had made Yūgao cringe at quite a few intervals, she still wasn't that much of a chore to look after. As a refreshing break from the normal conversations she'd had with past charges – conversations consisting mainly of 'Are we there yet?' and 'I'm tired…' – Safaia had been asking her a lot of questions during their little trek through the village. Her studious nature had reared its head the moment Yūgao had started to feed the woman's curiosity, and the questions she asked proved it. It could be said that the woman was downright hungry for knowledge – the questions she asked ranged from the former Hokages to the different elemental affinities to chakra to the different ninja ranks and beyond. She even asked about the different lands in the Elemental Nations. What surprised Yūgao was that Safaia understood all the more complex answers _far_ quicker than a foreign person should.

Her smarts weren't without drawbacks, though. When Yūgao told her about the more complex aspects of chakra and the manipulation of it, Safaia had become so preoccupied with her thoughts that she kept bumping into people. Yūgao admitted it was fairly amusing the first three times, but by the time the twentieth apology had left Safaia's mouth, the ANBU operative wisely decided to try and distract her from her more complex thoughts.

She knew that her charge had spent the past six years travelling and training with a ninja, so clones, ninja-traps and other basics were probably old news to her. Safaia being the bookworm that she was, Yūgao also doubted her charge would want to know much about different fighting styles unless there was some kind of complex elements to it that the woman could deduce. She'd already told Safaia about the different elemental affinities, so that was also a no-go.

As she was trying to figure out exactly what could pique the woman's interest without causing her to withdraw from the world around her, she felt a slight tug on the detached sleeve of her uniform. "Uh… Yūgao?" She turned to see her charge looking behind them with a perplexed expression, and instantly followed her gaze. The object of her attention wasn't too hard to notice – truthfully, it was harder _not_ to notice. Tsume Inuzuka, head of the Inuzuka clan, was walking down the street with her ninken, Kuromaru, in tow. "I… I think I just heard that dog speak," Safaia said with a confused expression on her face. "And I'm not picking up any forms of magic from it… Is that some kind of ninja-dog?"

Yūgao was about to answer when she finally realized something. She'd found a topic that could keep the bookworm away from the topic of chakra: The different clans of Konohagakure - a long, diverse, yet simple subject that could undoubtedly feed the studious young woman for quite a while. "That was a ninken. I'm guessing calling Kuromaru a 'ninja-dog' wouldn't be _too_ far off. Just don't do it in front of him."

"Nin…ken…" Safaia rolled the words around in her mouth before smiling happily. "That's… actually quite amazing. I've never really met any animals that can talk. Well, harpies could count but I can't talk to harpies because they're predatory and Naruto _hates_ them and…" Soon enough, the young woman's words became nothing but whispered mutters. It continued for a while, and out of reflex, Yūgao automatically started looking ahead to see if anyone was about to be walked into. Safaia suddenly trailed off and stopped in her tracks with slightly wide eyes before palming her face and sighing. "Oh, gods… I started babbling again…" Despite her stoic demeanour, Yūgao had to repress a chuckle at her charge's antics. "So… do all these 'ninken' talk? Or was it just that one?"

"Not all of them can talk, no," Yūgao shook her head. "I think Kuromaru is the only ninken in the Inuzuka clan who can actually talk like we can."

"Then how do they communicate?" Safaia asked with a confused expression on her face.

"The Inuzuka clan members have special bonds with their dogs," Yūgao said. "That's how." She paused. "There are quite a few other clans in Konoha as well. Would you like to know about them too?"

The excited gleam in Safaia's eyes was all Yūgao needed to deduce the answer.

* * *

_Wow… They're still going?_

Naruto had been away from the training ground where he met the Jonin-senseis he'd be aiding for at _least_ four hours – and the genin were _still_ training their hides off. The Hokage was nowhere in sight, though, so Naruto could only deduce that his explanation was finished and that the three Jonin knew exactly _what_ he was and what he could do. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous – his status as a Veneficus had been met with mixed reception in the past. Some towns remained neutral, treating him with the same courteousness you'd treat anyone you crossed paths with. Other towns had all but deified him and his siblings, rolling out lavish carpets and massive banquets in his honour simply for being, as one of his younger admirers had put it, a 'moving thing of awesome'. Yes, it didn't make any sense, but it flattered him nonetheless to know that even some of the younger kids looked up to him simply for being abnormal.

Of course, there were other towns that treated them with open hostility, but hey, nobody would be dumb enough to attack a band of merry men when one of said merry men could best be described as a fortress on legs, so they weren't mobbed… that much, anyway.

Despite thinking back to how different towns and villages had treated him, he could feel his heart hammering in his throat. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this nervous. Already, he started hoping that the first impression he'd made that morning was a good one. He'd be stuck with those three Jonin for an undetermined amount of time – if there was _any_ kind of animosity between them, he was in for one seriously rough ride. He was thanking his stars he'd managed to break away from Borgia and Anko – the more he walked with them, the more he realized that their 'playful' bickering could lead to deep shit.

So he did what any ingenious twelve-year-old would: He lied.

He directed them to the wrong training ground, and bolted as soon as he saw an opening. He'd grown to love his siblings dearly, but Borgia was _not_ the person you wanted around when something like this went down.

He swallowed audibly and started to observe the training genin. Oddly enough, he was both intrigued and a tad annoyed by what he saw. On one hand, some of them were training rigorously – Kiba, his old acquaintance from the few months he spent in the academy, was busy partaking in a three-way spar with the timid young girl he remembered as Hinata Hyūga and the seemingly detached, mysterious Shino Aburame – someone who creeped him out a bit even after a six-year absence from the village. And… that was it. He cringed slightly when he realized that, apart from those three, there wasn't any other 'real' training going on. Shikamaru and Choji had resigned themselves to watching clouds and eating respectively, the pale boy he'd noticed earlier was sitting under a tree playing with what looked like black mice, and – much to his exasperation – Ino and Sakura were currently bickering and distracting Sasuke from his own training.

Naruto chuckled humourlessly. He was supposed to help with _this_? What could he do? Even if he _did_ have access to both Suiton and Fūton ninjutsu, his repertoire of tricks were severely limited – he had _two_ Suiton techniques and a whopping _one_ Fūton technique – how was that supposed to be any help to them? How were three different fighting styles going to help any of _them_ become better ninja? He sighed and slumped where he stood. He was in _way_ over his head.

"Worried?"

Great. He'd been caught off-guard already. Naruto sighed and turned around, looking upwards to find the source of the voice. He recognized it, though, so he didn't worry _too_ much. "Hatake-sensei," he said respectfully as he looked up at Kakashi. The Jonin was comfortably sitting on a large branch, reading the same orange book he'd been reading that morning.

"Now, now," Kakashi's one visible eye closed and arched upwards – a tell-tale sign of a smile, Naruto noted. "That's way too formal. You're an aide, Naruto… not an underling. Besides…" He paused, snapping the book shut and hopping down to the ground. "Going by Hokage-sama's praise, you're already on a level far above these genin."

"I'm… not too sure about that," Naruto said worriedly. "I don't know the first thing about being an aide, Kakashi-san," he mumbled, noticing Kakashi nod slightly at being addressed less formally. "I'm not even that good, really – I've been saying it all day; I suck as a ninja."

"That's not what Hokage-sama thinks," Kakashi said with a shrug. "Apparently he had a nice, long discussion with your teacher regarding your ninja training." He paused and looked at Naruto. "If you really were such a bad ninja, you wouldn't have been able to teach yourself everything you can do now. Tree walking, water walking, Suiton and Fūton jutsu… There isn't a genin in this clearing who can do the first two." His eye closed again as he smiled under his mask. "You taught yourself all that. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"Heh. Sorry," Naruto mumbled. "This… This job has got me spooked."

"It's natural," Kakashi said. "Besides, you've got nothing to worry about. You've got three Jonin to help you along," he said with another smile evident in his lone eye. Naruto chuckled softly and turned back towards the training Genin.

"…Thanks, Kakashi-san," he said with a smile. "…I guess that means he told you about the other stuff as well?"

"He told all of us," Kakashi nodded. "Everything – what you are, what you can do, what you've been doing the past six years and more." He paused. "I actually stopped reading at one point. You've been busy, Naruto-kun," he said as he smiled at the boy again. "I get the feeling things aren't going to be dull with you around."

Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "You're really okay with everything? I mean… Magic's not exactly common knowledge in the Elemental Nations. Didn't it shock you?"

"Naruto, after what I saw six years ago, I was half expecting everything Hokage-sama said," he said with a chuckle. Naruto, on the other hand, looked positively mortified. "Relax," Kakashi placated him. "I wasn't part of the force sent to retrieve you. I was sent to find out what was taking them so long. All I saw when I arrived at the scene was purple fire and ash – and your teacher disappearing into thin air," he said.

"He does that sometimes," Naruto said as he paled drastically. "Oh gods this is so awkward…"

"He made the message quite clear, Naruto-kun," Kakashi said as he looked Naruto in the eye. "Nobody was to follow him – and nobody did."

"Wha… What about all the ANBU he killed?" Naruto asked shakily.

Kakashi sighed as he closed his eyes. "It was unnecessary of him, I'll admit. He had absolutely no reason to kill them," he said softly. "But that was _his_ doing. Not yours, Naruto-kun. I'm not like the rest of this village – I'm not going to hate you for what your teacher did."

"That…" Naruto paused for a moment. "That means a lot. Thanks," he said shakily. "It's one thing to have the civvies all pissed off. Elite ninja… not so much."

"People are focused on your teacher," Kakashi smiled at him again. "Mostly the half of the ANBU forces who want to see him burn. In the past, Hokage-sama himself admitted that he was partly responsible for the slaughter because he sent all those ANBU after you in the first place," he said. "But other than them and the civilians of Konoha, I can't think of anyone who'd take their hate out on you." He paused. "Especially since you beat down on that mob yesterday…"

"Eheh…" Naruto chuckled sheepishly again. "You saw that?"

"I didn't _see_ it, no," Kakashi shook his head. "But every ninja in the village knows about it now. You can thank Ino for that," his eye showed a smile again. "Some of the ANBU who saw you were quite impressed with your taijutsu… If you're really that good at close combat I get the feeling you and Gai will get along swimmingly."

"Gai?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The other Jonin-sensei you'll be aiding," Kakashi nodded. "Konoha's resident taijutsu specialist. He's… eccentric," Kakashi said with an unsure tone. "You know… I think I'll let you realize what I'm talking about. He should be back in the next few days."

Naruto paled at the thought. He prayed that 'eccentric' in Gai's case was a _lot_ different from 'eccentric' in some of the other cases he encountered during his travels. Somehow, though, he got the feeling his prayers were futile. "So… Who's teaching who?" Naruto asked, motioning towards the training Genin in a bid to get off the topic of whoever this 'Gai' person was.

"The three you see training over there," Kakashi pointed towards Kiba's group, "is Team 8, under Kurenai Yūhi. Team 10 consists of Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi and Shikamaru Nara under Asuma Sarutobi. Team 7's my team – Sasuke, Sakura and Sai… the pale one sitting there under the tree."

"Sai, huh…" Naruto pondered. "What's his deal?" _Sheesh, I've seen vampires with better complexions than him…_ "Is it even natural to be so pale?"

"He's a last-minute addition," Kakashi murmured. "Came out of nowhere, and nobody has anything on him. It's like he just appeared someday for the sole purpose of filling the open slot on the team," he said.

"Okay, that just screams 'shady'," Naruto said with an annoyed expression on his face. "You serious? There's _nothing_ on him?" He asked. "How is that even possible? Doesn't Gramps have files on… _everybody_ in the village?"

"No," Kakashi shook his head. "Hokage-sama himself is tight-lipped about the matter. The only thing we know for sure is that Sai is skilled – almost too skilled for someone his age. He's managed to floor Sakura and tie with Sasuke during spars, and he's the one on the team who's got the best grasp regarding teamwork. Unfortunately…" Kakashi sighed. "He has no social skills whatsoever. That and he seems to be completely emotionless."

"Pale, no background, scary-competent, no social skills, and no emotions…" Naruto said as he palmed his face. "That's a five-out-of-five score for the 'Suspicious Freak' test right there, Kakashi-san," he said warily. "Is he trustworthy?"

"I have no idea," Kakashi sighed. "He's not openly hostile apart from his biting comments, but he still worries me. He disappears without a trace whenever I end training for the day, and when he's not busy practicing or sparring he's studying Sasuke."

"Crap, another one? Jeez. First Mizuki and now this Sai-person. Can't they give the guy a break?"

"My guess is, Sai's monitoring Sasuke. You've heard of the Uchiha Clan massacre, right?" He asked, to which Naruto nodded. "Sasuke's been obsessed with finding and killing the perpetrator ever since then. A lot of people are worried about that attitude – and I'm thinking Sai is here to take notes and report any unusual behaviour."

"But Gramps wouldn't do that," Naruto nodded. "You're a Jonin and you've been assigned as his sensei, so obviously he trusts _you_ to keep an eye on Sasuke. I heard Gramps is keeping things steady with Kumo, so we can't exactly rule out the chance that he's with them, but I can't think why _they_ would care about Sasuke's attitude problem…"

"There's one other possibility," Kakashi said as he looked at Naruto. "What do you know about Root?"

"Dammit, I thought they were supposed to be some kind of super-secret sect or something," Naruto griped. "How the hell does everyone know them?"

"Most of the elite ninja in the village know about them," Kakashi said. "They became a lot more active during Danzo's stint as Hokage. They were officially disbanded a long time ago, but I doubt such an organized group would just split apart – especially if they're connected to Danzo somehow. A lot of people think he's tied to them – they just popped up out of nowhere during Danzo's reign and disappeared shortly after he stepped down. That's enough to fuel suspicion in the village."

"So they're still active. Awesome. More asses to kick," Naruto mumbled. "So what are you going to do about Sai? What if he really is part of Root?"

"I'm already keeping tabs on him," Kakashi muttered, a frown evident in his visible eye. "But I focused on him too much – that's the only reason why Mizuki was able to manipulate Sasuke, even though he graduated two weeks ago. It's difficult – Sai's good at covering his tracks," he said evenly.

"So tailing him is a no-go for now…" Naruto mused as he stared at the pale boy. "I've got an idea that _might_ work, but we can only get it started later. _Way_ later," he said thoughtfully. He noticed that Kakashi had turned to look at him curiously. "Did Gramps tell you about my family? The four people I call my siblings?" Kakashi nodded. "Good. One of them isn't here yet. Master's basically told the rest of us to do as the Hokage says, but he kept Victor back. There's a very good reason for that," Naruto grinned. "Victor is _strong_. Master said he's 'an assassin without equal', and as much as I don't like admitting it, he's right in that regard. Couple of months ago, he landed assassination number five-thousand – and each of those five-thousand times, he was gone before anyone could react." Naruto looked back at Kakashi. "He's like a ghost, Kakashi-san. The number of people he's tailed in the past… I can't count that high. And what's most amazing is the fact that he's _never_ been caught. Hell, he's never even been _seen_ properly – not _once_ in over five-thousand assassinations." Naruto nodded to himself. "If there's _anyone_ who can tail Sai without any problems it's him."

"If he's as good as you say, I can see why your teacher held him back," Kakashi nodded. "Personally I'll believe the 'without equal' part when I see it," he said cheekily, "but if you really believe that he can tail Sai, I guess I'm not one to argue."

"Master's given him a task that spans every country in the Elemental Nations," Naruto said with a grin, "but he's not going to do it all at once. He'll be back from time to time, and when he does pop up I'll let you know. Until then, I don't think there's anything we can do about Sai except observe. If you're right and he's here to monitor Sasuke…" Naruto smirked. "Then I guess we just have to make sure there's nothing abnormal to report on."

"I was thinking along similar lines," Kakashi said, a smile evident in his visible eye. "Might need to continue this some other time, though," he said, suddenly on guard. "The other two are here."

"Other two?" Naruto asked, looking around. "Oh, them," he said as he palmed his face. How could he forget about the other two Jonin? Sure enough, Asuma and Kurenai were slowly walking towards them. The fact that they seemed to be royally confused and visibly wary around him didn't help. "This is gonna suck…" He muttered under his breath.

Eventually the other two Jonin stopped next to Naruto – close enough to relieve the boy a bit. Asuma seemed to be the most confused of the lot, if the chewed-up cigarette butt in his mouth was anything to go by. He also had his hands tucked into his pockets, and Naruto noticed Kakashi giving the man an approving nod before taking out his book and diving into it again. Kurenai, on the other hand, was looking at him in an entirely different manner – something akin to intrigue, it seemed. "So…" Asuma finally spoke up. "A 'Magic Man', huh…" He blew a plume of smoke out of his mouth as he spoke. "After the ANBU massacre six years ago, I was expecting a lot of things, Naruto… What dad told us wasn't one of them."

"Nobody ever does, Sarutobi-sensei," Naruto forced a grin onto his face, ignoring the soft, amused snort Kurenai let loose.

"No…" Asuma muttered as he ran his hand down his face. "Don't call me that, Naruto. It makes me sound older than I am." He paused before sighing. "Honestly I don't know what's what. I mean, I can believe that guy in the robes trained you and I can believe you've got two affinities, but… Magic's already a stretch – and that business of you being 'made of magic' is just…" He sighed again. "I'll believe _that_ when I see it in action, Naruto," he mumbled. "No offense meant."

"None taken," Naruto said with a smile. "You might just believe sooner than you expected, Asuma-san."

"Hm…" Kurenai looked at him with a studious expression, before a smile appeared on her lips. "I agree with Asuma-san regarding your 'magic', Naruto-kun… But…" She paused as she smiled at him. "Hokage-sama sang your praises quite a bit. I'm looking forward to seeing how much you've been taught, Naruto-kun. Just as I'm looking forward to seeing how you interact with my team."

That brought a smile to Naruto's face. Despite how brief the meeting promised to be, the prospect of meeting with them after the old man told them the truth about him was unnerving. It's not every day you learn your potential aide was a cross between a normal person and a being that was, put bluntly, supernatural in concept. The possibilities of civil conduct were even less when the fact that magic was practically non-existent in the Elemental Nations was added to the mix. Still, it eased him to know that his reception was better than he'd expected. With a respectful nod, he looked Kurenai dead in the eye.

"I'll do my best not to disappoint you, Kurenai-sensei. I don't know how much of a help I'll be, but I'll do everything I can to contribute," he said resolutely.

"That's good enough for us," Kakashi spoke as he turned a page in his little orange book. "According to Hokage-sama, your mission officially starts tomorrow. Have you thought about how you're going to go to do this?"

"Not yet, no," Naruto admitted as he scratched the back of his head. "Gramps only dropped this bomb on me this morning. I would've done some thinking after visiting the memorial stone, but… Tch. I got a bit caught up there." He decided not to look any of them in the eye, even if he did notice Kurenai stiffening a bit and Asuma biting down on the butt of his cigarette. "I'm guessing that, seeing as there are three teams, I'll need to split my time between them. Other than that, I haven't thought any further."

"Then it looks like you've got some planning to do with us," the cyclopean Jonin said as he closed his book and deposited it back in its pouch.

"That, it does," Naruto smiled as he promptly sat down. "I don't even know most of them. I mean, I met Asuma-san's team yesterday, so that's a start, and I met Sasuke as well, but the rest…" He paused as the other three Jonin sat down beside him. "I can remember them all, yeah, but we didn't speak much before I left. It was mostly just me screaming about becoming Hokage and getting punched by Sakura," he grinned. "Ah, good times."

Good times they were, Naruto remembered. He and Borgia often shared a laugh when the story of Naruto's first 'crush' arose. In all honesty, he didn't know what came over him back then. He didn't know _where_ his 'infatuation' came from, but right now, he didn't particularly care. Thinking back, sifting through his memories, he came to realize something that both amused and scared him:

He thought all those times he was on the business end of her fist were _funny_.

Maybe it was just his twisted humour after spending six years around Borgia and Kahn, but every time he thought back to those events he chuckled. He could only _imagine_ what it looked like to all the bystanders – a blonde six-year old loudly talking about that '_like_-like' feeling, making a fool of himself and getting punched by a girl he most probably put off in some way. It was darkly humorous – the kind of humour he'd exhibit every now and then during his travels. All in all, he couldn't really blame Sakura. He'd probably respond violently as well if a person he'd been warned against suddenly popped up out of nowhere and yelled something incoherent that contained the words 'be my girlfriend'.

…Well, if he put it _that_ way then her reaction was _completely_ justified.

Stifling a chuckle, Naruto pushed those memories to the back of his mind. Recollections could come later – right now he had a schedule to work on. _Planning and memorizing, _he thought with an internal grimace. _Oh, joy of joys…_

* * *

"That brat brother of yours pointed us to the wrong training grounds, didn't he…?"

"What, you only notice _now_?"

Anko repressed the urge to slam her palm into her face as she turned to face her foreign companion. "I think your brother was telling the truth," she griped as she glared at him. "I think I've skipped past 'loathing' and hopped right into that 'need-to-kill' phase," she said with a glare. "Why are you only telling me this now? I've got better things to do than walk around with some asshole all day."

"One, you're supposed to be some kind of 'ninja', lass," Borgia replied with a shrug. "Naru told us you guys were supposed to be these hyper-alert, hyper-sneaky assassin-type people. So the fact that you missed a teenage-looking runt giving us the slip doesn't say much about your skills."

"Oi," Anko growled as she narrowed her eyes. "Sporting a hangover here, dipshit."

"Two," the foreigner continued, shrugging off her objection as though it hardly mattered, "Lad was going to meet with your leader. I get the feeling the ol' man will be right pissed if Naru pitches up with a shrieking witch trying to murder his awesome brother."

"Oi! Who're you calling a witch?!" Anko piped up loudly. "And just what the hell makes you think you're so 'awesome' anyway?"

"Three," Borgia continued, grinning arrogantly when he heard Anko hiss at him for ignoring her. He paused and looked up the sky, before shrugging. "I like fucking with people like that." The moment he finished speaking he took a cautionary step backwards, raising an eyebrow when a kunai zipped past his face a few moments later. "You're slow, lass. That was almost comical."

"Tch. Eat me, asshole," Anko flipped him off.

"Why would I do that? Might just as well eat out of the garbage." Again, the foreigner took a step back and again, another kunai zipped past his face. "You sure you're really hung-over? I've seen drunkards throw better than that, so I'm starting to think you're still shitfaced," he said with a grin as Anko glared daggers at him.

"…You are _such an asshole_," Anko growled through gritted teeth. "An arrogant one, to boot."

"Arrogant?" Borgia chuckled. "Where'd you get _that_ one from, lass?"

"That whole 'awesome brother' thing," she groaned in response. "Talk about full of yourself."

"It's not arrogance if it's the truth, lass," he said with a shrug as he watched her glare at him again. A short silence followed – Anko kept glaring at her foreign companion, who, in turn, just kept staring at her with that self-assured grin on his face. "Don't believe me, lass? I can prove it," he said, finally breaking the silence as _something_ flashed in his golden eyes.

"Prove that you're arrogant? Oh, you've already proved that, don't you worry," Anko sneered. "Proving that you're 'awesome' is impossible. Assholes like you can't be awesome."

"Is that what you believe, huh…" Borgia grinned, a predatory look on his face. "You prepared to make a little wager on that belief, lass?" He asked her. She glared at him for a moment before nodding curtly with a soft huff. "Spar with me," Borgia said confidently as he tapped the pommel of one of his arming swords. "Tell you what, I'll use _one_ of these," he said, giving the sword's hilt another tap, "and I'll keep my other hand in my pocket. No bow and arrow, no magic, no killing intent, no punches, no kicks - just my sword. You can use whatever you want." He paused, watching her as his knuckles rapped against the hilt of his sword.

"…What if I win?" Anko asked cautiously.

"Name your conditions, lass," the foreigner grinned.

Anko frowned as she stared at the man. "I'd _really_ like to say you need to shut the fuck up and leave me alone if I win," she said icily. "But you've still got a lot of explaining to do, jackass. So if I win…" She paused, thinking for a moment. "If I win you keep paying my bar tab. How's that?"

"Heh. Clever girl," Borgia grinned as he drew his cobalt-colored sword. "I'd have to say likewise, lass. If I win, I'll just go ahead and put all _my_ expenses at that bar on _your_ tab – just until I'm convinced you've finally realized I'm as awesome as I say. We got a deal or what?"

"We've got a deal alright…" Anko frowned as she drew two kunai. "Cut-off time?"

"How's dusk?" The foreigner grinned.

"Perfect," Anko smirked viciously as she lunged at her opponent. The two kunai in her hands flew forwards, glinting wickedly in the midday-light as they crept closer to the man. Borgia simply faked a yawn and took a casual step to the side, effortlessly dodging one before tilting his head right, allowing the other kunai to pass through his dark hair with a soft _snip_. He didn't say a word – he simply grinned at his charging opponent. Anko hissed and drew another kunai – she was mere feet from him now and he hardly had his sword ready to parry a strike. _Dumbass_…

Her kunai was scant centimetres from him when his grin intensified. His body's outline blurred and in a blink he disappeared from Anko's view. She stumbled to right herself, wide-eyed and as cautious as she could be, but she was too late. A harsh whistle signified the foreign man's sword descending through the air behind her, and with a gasp she haphazardly turned in an attempt to parry, just as the blade's sinister glint flashed in her eyes.

"Too slow, lass…" With those words, the sound of steel on steel signified a tense, almost lifeless silence settling across the abandoned training ground.

* * *

After drawing in a large breath, Naruto sighed loudly as he skulked away from the training ground. The sun was just setting, coating the sky with a magnificent orange hue that the young-ninja mage had come to appreciate in the past when his brother, Victor, had actually managed to make him sit still, so at the very least the trek back to his tent would be a pleasant one. Whenever he was wasted enough to actually notice the dusk sky, _every_ task he would have to do was a pleasant one. A pity he was normally too much of a concentrated ball of energy to notice.

His head felt heavy – no, scratch that, it felt downright unbearable to move. When he actually sat down and started working on a training schedule with the three Jonin, he was expecting something simple; slotted times, a set amount of time to spend with each team, and other set amounts of time to spend with each Genin individually. Looking back at his somewhat reasonable expectations, Naruto sighed again.

He almost punched himself for having such foolish hopes.

No, his Master, in all his harsh, spiteful glory, had run a few ideas past the old Hokage in an attempt to make Naruto's new, possibly lifelong 'mission' worth its supposed 'S-rank difficulty'. _Pft. What a bullshit story_, the young ninja-mage thought bitterly. _What a bullshit move. What a __**bullshit**__ schedule!_ He had to fight back a lot of exasperation, whimpers, needlessly dramatic rage and looks of absolute defeat when Kakashi had so 'helpfully' informed him of the Third Hokage's instructions to them regarding Naruto's schedule. Yes, the aforementioned factors were all a part of the schedule, but in a massive turn for the worst, the young ninja-mage found out that the Hokage had instructed them to add in a few stipulations regarding 'unforeseen circumstances'…

…Like when a team left the village for a mission. This meant Naruto would have to alter his little 'training schedule' to accommodate the other teams in _during_ the time said team left, _and_ make up the days/weeks/months' worth of training that the first-mentioned team missed during mission-time.

He'd have to alter it if one of the Genin were injured or hospitalized as well.

He'd have to alter it whenever one of the senseis was incapacitated or unavailable for an indefinite amount of time.

And he'd have to alter the _hell_ out of it if any replacements or substitutions were made.

For the third time in a short while, Naruto sighed loudly. He was starting to feel less like an aide and more like a full-time secretary – and young, up-and-coming ninja-mages were _not_ supposed to be secretaries, _full stop_. He started grumbling as he turned his gaze down at the road in front of him. At the very least, they'd managed to dot down a partly plausible little plan to follow until one of the senseis thought their team of squirts was ready for a C-ranked mission. He'd be meeting with Team 7 first early the next morning. Kurenai had told him – with no minced words – that Kakashi's sense of punctuality was absolutely terrible, so he'd use the time it took the silver-haired Jonin to arrive by chatting with the three students, getting a basic idea of their strengths and weaknesses and maybe having a spar or two with them to help them warm up.

He sighed again. He knew he'd be meeting up with Team 8 the next day as well, but he was limited to two teams per day, seeing as the senseis felt it adequate to have him help them 'oversee' the D-ranked missions the genin would be undertaking. The next day would be Team 7 in the morning again, and Team 10 afterwards, and the day after that, Team 8 in the morning followed by Team 10 again.

Running that order through his mind again, Naruto sighed once more. It was royally confusing when he first tried to understand the situation, but after dotting it down on paper, he could more-or-less follow it efficiently. There was still a lot of planning and debate, however. The debate part he managed to filter out – after all, the matter of the genin and their importance was between the senseis and the senseis alone – but the planning part had made his mind very foggy. He remembered Safaia saying something about 'mental fatigue' once, but he shook that off – he'd barely been planning and focusing for half a day; mental fatigue was out of the question. Or was it? He growled as he started running that question through his mind. He'd have to ask Safaia about that as soon as he got home.

"Naruto!"

Naruto had to stifle a groan when he heard someone calling out his name. He was tired, he was irritable and he was in no mood for any of that 'you're-a-demon-so-die' nonsense, so he hoped that whoever was trying to speak with him knew that any grievances would be met with a fist and some violent curses. Sighing again for the umpteenth time, Naruto sucked in a breath, plastered a smile on his face, turned around – and had to pause when the first thing he saw was a mop of pink hair. "Uh… Hi?"

Naruto expected a lot of things when he turned around. Seeing Sakura Haruno standing in front of him was _not_ one of them. _This,_ he thought with an inward groan, _is gonna be awkward…_

"H-Hi," Sakura started with a nervous expression. "Uh… Do you…" She trailed off. "Oh wow," she groaned. "You… You look different, Naruto," she said timidly. "Do… Do you remember me?"

…_Or not_, Naruto thought brightly as a grin stretched across his face. "'Course I do, Sakura-chan," he said happily. Clearly she didn't outright _hate_ him because of the Kyūbi… But whatever she was exhibiting now confused the young ninja-mage greatly. With an inward chuckle, he decided to press the matter with a small, joking taunt. "How could I not? Those fists of yours aren't easy to forget." Sakura flinched slightly at his words. _Huh… _That_ was unexpected_, he thought. "You look like you've got something to say," he observed verbally. "But, it looks like you're having some trouble with it. Need someone to walk you home, Sakura-chan? It can give you some time to mull it over."

"…I'd appreciate that," the pinkette said with a small smile as she started walking next to Naruto. "I wanted to try talking to you earlier, but… You were so busy with Kakashi-sensei and the others all the time…" She said, some of her nervousness dissipating. "Next thing I know, Kakashi-sensei tells us we're done for the day and you're nowhere in sight."

"I'm sneaky like that," Naruto grinned at her. "Besides, you _do_ know I'm a teacher's aide now, right?" He asked. When Sakura nodded, he continued. "I'm starting off with your team tomorrow morning. If you missed me today you could've told me whatever it is you want to tomorrow morning. Unless it's a big deal?"

Sakura seemed to waver at this part. Whatever she was trying to tell him was making her quite nervous. Noticing this, Naruto decided to try and change the topic. "Kakashi-san told me a lot about you three, y'know," he said with a smile, noticing the girl looking up at him and mentally patting himself on the back for distracting her from her worrying thoughts. "He told me your chakra control is almost unrivalled in the Rookie 9, and that your smarts are _way_ above the norm. That's amazing, Sakura-chan," he said with a smile. "I'm really looking forward to helping you all out."

His words seemed to do the trick – for a while, at least – because the journey to Sakura's home had been a lot less tense after he praised her. Naruto used this short walk to start getting to know the pinkette from scratch, and he learned a lot of things, including her opinions on the rest of the Rookie 9. He learned of her rivalry with Ino regarding Sasuke Uchiha – which was nowhere _near_ surprising – as well as her 'crush' on the stoic boy, which wasn't very surprising either. He'd made several little notes on what she said. She found Shino creepy because of his bugs and stoic nature – not that he could fault her on _that_ – and complained that Kiba was reckless and smelled like a dog. Her most verbal reaction, however, came when he asked her about her other teammate, the pale boy Sai – the frown on her face as she spoke said _volumes_ about her opinion of the boy. Like Kakashi said, it appeared as though Sai had no social skills at all – the boy reportedly made a habit of calling Sakura 'Ugly', 'Forehead' and 'Flat-Chested', and called Sasuke names like 'Dickless' – all with a smile on his face.

Naruto was torn between putting the boy on his shit-list for being such a dick, and shaking the kid's hand for being so ballsy.

After a few minutes of friendly conversation, however, they finally reached Sakura's house – and the minute they stopped, Sakura's earlier nervousness returned in full force. She stood rooted where she stood, wringing her hands and looking between Naruto and her home, before finally inhaling loudly and turning to face him. "Naruto-kun…" She started, with a degree of familiarity. "I… Uh… Iruka-sensei… He's…"

"I know," Naruto stopped her with a sad smile. "I found out earlier."

"He… He told us, Naruto… He told us about the Fox… And your life…" She paused and gulped. "I… I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," she said shakily, bowing where she stood. "I… I treated you badly back then and I'm sorry… I didn't know… Please forgive me…"

Silence reigned for a few brief moments before Naruto's response came.

"Oi, come on now," he said warmly, pushing her by her forehead into a standing position. "You're sorry? What for?" He asked with a smile. He saw her eyes go wide as an expression of pure shock plastered itself onto her face. "You didn't do anything wrong, Sakura-chan. I'd punch me too if I did anything like that to myself," he said with a grin. "There's nothing to forgive, Sakura-chan. You've got nothing to be sorry about," he said happily. "Honestly? That shit was funny as hell."

Sakura stood still for a moment, her eyes still slightly wide as her jaw hung slack, before she visibly perked up and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands, a grateful smile adorning her lips. "I… Thank you, Naruto-kun," she muttered happily, her voice still shaky. "Thank you…"

"Don't mention it," Naruto grinned. "That's all in the past now. It should stay there," he said resolutely. "Go get some sleep, Sakura-chan. Tomorrow's going to be quite hectic," he said with a smirk. "Especially if I'm supposed to 'aide' you guys the way I think I should." With that, he turned on his heel and started walking towards his actual destination, looking back at Sakura to wave at her, which she heartily returned before disappearing through the doorway, with an absolutely huge smile on her face.

_That went well,_ Naruto thought happily as he marched off toward Sasuke's abode. _Going by her past attitude, I thought Sakura-chan was one of the people who'd hate me the _most_. Heh. Shows just what I know… _He grinned to himself. _Here's to hoping the rest are just as open minded…_ He thought happily before pausing, his eyebrows arcing upwards. _That_ was the look on Ino, Shikamaru and Choji's faces when he mentioned 'people like him' the previous day. They _did_ know! They knew the whole time and they still didn't judge him – not even when they found him standing over a bunch of battered, bruised civvies. That realization made the grin on the young ninja-mage's face stretch even wider.

_That is _awesome_! Hell, the way things are going now, it looks like I've been worried for nothing! Here I thought the whole village would be out for my blood,_ he thought happily as he strode off. _I've only just gotten here and things are already looking up!_

* * *

"And… it's done. You lose, lass."

The moment Borgia finished speaking, he grinned as Anko fell flat on her face in front of him. Her breathing was ragged and gravely and her own blood dotted and streaked across her body. Her coat laid a few feet away, shredded and bloody, and the mesh bodysuit she'd taken to wearing had been damn near destroyed. Cuts, stabs and bruises littered her body, and she shook heavily as she laid face-down on the ground.

"Gotta give you credit, lass," Borgia said with a smirk. "You know how to keep pushing. That's some iron determination you've got there," he said as sheathed his sword.

With a pained grunt, Anko shifted so her mouth wasn't obstructed by grass. "What… the fuck… are you?!" she growled through her panting.

"Your better," Borgia grinned as he rolled her onto her back with his foot before sinking down on one knee. "I hope you realize that now," he grinned as he watched her. Despite her pain and fatigue, she still managed to glare at him. She even got as far as hissing at him, even if it did sound as though she sucked in a breath through her teeth.

"I… I couldn't even…" She groaned as she tried to move. "What the fuck… are you?!" She barked again, squirming under his amused gaze. "You had… one sword! _One!_ You didn't… do jack shit… but use _one sword!_" She said hoarsely. "How… are you… so _fast?!_"

"I'm thirty-eight, woman," Borgia said with a bored expression. "I've been training myself since I was four. Do the math," he smirked at her.

"You… are… _such an asshole…_" Anko huffed through gritted teeth. "You… even cut my bodysuit apart!" She growled. "I… I should call you… a fucking pervert… Asshole!"

"Aw, come on, now," Borgia sighed with a smile, shaking his head. "How can I be a pervert? I deliberately _didn't_ carve your chest and ass apart. Hell, my blade didn't even go _near_ those areas – shouldn't that be called some kinda chivalry instead?"

"I… am going… to _hurt_ you someday…" Anko seethed as she twitched where she lay. "_Asshole!_"

"I think we've come to that conclusion already, lass," Borgia grinned.

"You… skewered… my hands…"

"You gave me the opportunity to, lass."

"You… taunted me! You kept… taunting me!"

"I thought you were holding back, lass."

"You… You…" Her breathing became a touch more erratic as her glare intensified. "You made me… look _weak!_"

"…That's because you _are_ weak, lass…"

"_Fuck you!_"

"In _that_ state?" Borgia asked with a raised brow. "Nah. That'd be more pain than pleasure – for you, at least. Didn't take you as a masochist, lass… That's some _really_ disturbing shit," he said, grinning as Anko's glare intensified even more. "Masochist or not, you're _definitely_ a sore loser."

"Tch…" Anko narrowed her eyes at the man before averting her gaze. "Whatever…"

"What, no offhanded 'asshole'-rant this time!"

"_Shaddup!"_ Anko seethed at the man. "You… You… Ugh!" She growled irately as she squirmed again, trying to will her body to work. She started gritting her teeth when Borgia let out a hearty laugh at her efforts. Her loss already had her infuriated – and now the foreigner was laughing at her to boot… and to make matters worse, she couldn't do _anything_ about it. Her body outright refused to respond – they'd been fighting close to two hours. Or, at least, _she_ had been _trying_ to fight for almost two hours. Borgia was just dodging, parrying, blocking, and humiliating her – and he was currently continuing with the latter by laughing at her.

Soon enough, though, he curbed his outburst and looked down at her with a grin. "Well, you lasted almost two hours against me. That's bound to say something – I'm the strongest of my family, frankly speaking. Victor's better, but he doesn't count…" The foreigner said the last part offhandedly. "Normal people don't last that long, even against just one sword. So you've got quite some skill, lass," he said with a wide grin. "Now then… Would like me to carry you to the hospital?"

Anko narrowed her eyes, calming down slightly at the praise. "…Like you've got a choice in the matter…" She muttered as she stared at him. "You did this to me, you fix it."

"Aye aye, ma'am," The foreigner grinned as he scooped Anko up off the ground. "You'll need to sit up, though. I don't know your village that well, so you'll need to direct me. I trust you're not hung-over anymore?" He said with a grin.

"Just walk, bastard," Anko growled as she rested his arms. "I'll point you wherever you need to go," she sighed. "Bridal style, huh… We are _so_ fucked if anyone sees us like this."

"You're talking like you're not enjoying being carried like this…"

"Just… Just shut up until we get there…" Anko sighed exasperatedly.

"Sorry," Borgia said tauntingly. "No can do. You're busted up, I'm carrying someone who's way heavier than she looks…" He ignored the fact that she headbutted his chest at this – "and the hospital's no doubt quite far. I need _some_ kind of entertainment."

"You're right about two of those," Anko muttered irately.

"Ah," Borgia nodded. "Then the hospital's close." Anko headbutted his chest again. "Still feeling brave, huh lass? Maybe I should set you down and make another bet with you? I could use one of my arrows this time. It'll be less painful for you, that's for sure."

"Just…" Anko seethed for a moment, before deflating and slumping in Borgia's arms. "…Just keep walking… And walk faster dammit!"

Much to her ire, Borgia actually _slowed_ his pace. Anko sighed, frustration and hopelessness lacing her facial features as she decided to be quiet. Maybe, just _maybe_ he'd lay off if she stopped giving him a reaction. To her surprise, a comfortable silence followed after she'd given Borgia an order. Unconsciously, she started hoping that it would last until they reached the hospital. He'd been taunting her and pulling her strings _all day_. She needed a reprieve. If she could go the rest of the night without hearing his voice… that would be blissful. Sadly, though, her hopes were crushed when Borgia broke the silence.

"By the way? You're footing the bill for my drinks tonight… and I'm feeling rather thirsty."

"…You are _such _a fucking asshole…"

* * *

"About time you got here, Ducky!"

Sasuke didn't even tense when he was greeted loudly as he entered the small, homely apartment he resided in. He expected something like this in the first place – Naruto already broke into the home he had hidden in the day before… so why would today be any different? He had received Naruto's message halfway through the day's 'joint training', and it had been clear as day. '_We have an ally, and some info. Meet you at your abode tonight.'_ How said message appeared on the side of one his chopsticks was a mystery, but this 'new' Naruto was an even bigger one as a whole, so for now, Sasuke merely held back his questions and glared at the teenage blonde sitting comfortably in his apartment.

"I was almost scared I broke into the wrong apartment," Naruto said with a goofy grin. "You get my message?"

"Yes," Sasuke grunted as he sat down across Naruto. "What did you find out?"

"We've got ourselves a helper," Naruto grinned as he reclined in his seat. "That weird guy with black mask? You remember him?"

"He's just a murderer," Sasuke said icily. "How can he help us?"

"Because," Naruto said happily, raising his index finger in an intellectual manner, "those murder cases were a fuck-up. He was fed false info, apparently. Now, I take that with a pinch of salt, but when someone tells me he made a hobby of hunting and killing Root operatives, I tend to shut the hell up and not harp at him for moral reasons." The only response that got out of the young Uchiha was his eyes widening by a small fraction. "Yeah, he's the one who killed the guy who fed Mizuki all that info. That's why he still carries his sword around – Root's after him."

"…And he's our new ally?" Sasuke asked carefully.

"For now, yeah. I don't know much about the guy, and normally I'd give people who murder pregnant women nothing but the sole of my boot in their face, but he's an asset – if he makes a hobby of killing these assholes then he's gotta have _some_ way of finding out who's part of that fucking cult," he grumbled. "Oh, and I've actually got a legit reason for wanting to help you kick their asses now."

Sasuke only stared at him, as if waiting for him to continue.

"Not one for talking, are you?" Naruto asked with a bored expression. "Anyhow, I found out those assholes killed Iruka-sensei. They killed one of the only people who ever treated me kindly – I'm not gonna let that fly."

Sasuke fell silent, casting his gaze downwards as he thought about Naruto's words. "You're motivated now," he finally said, a slight smirk tugging at his lips.

"Hell, I was motivated the minute I heard they had dirt on your clan," Naruto said with a shrug. "Now I've just got a personal stake in this."

"You said you had information as well?" Sasuke said suddenly, changing the topic almost immediately. "What did you find out?"

"Something _you_ need to hide like one of those porn books once you find out," Naruto said, a somewhat solemn expression on his face. "Now Kakashi-san doesn't want me telling you this, and at first I was inclined to shut up about it, but I feel that whole 'hide-it-to-keep-them-safe' shtick can just fuck off. That's given me enough crap so far," he muttered with a frown. "So, I'll tell you what I find out, but you absolutely, positively _need_ act like you don't know about it when we're with Kakashi. Get it?"

Sasuke thought about it for a while, before nodding, his face impassive.

"We have a suspicion your teammate, Sai, is part of Root." He paused, seeing the brief flash of anger on the young Uchiha's face before it was replaced by that same plain look he'd been wearing since he came in. "_That's_ what I'd like to see, Ducky. That's how you need to act, just… a lot stricter. You can't allow _any_ kind of tell when you're around Sai. Even then, it's just a suspicion – we're waiting a few weeks until one of my brothers comes here. He'll tail Sai and find out if he's really part of Root or not."

"And if he is?"

Naruto smirked at the question. "I went over that with Kakashi-san as well, after our little meeting. If Sai's part of Root… Let's just say he can't face up to a Jonin, two Genin and a bona-fide badass like me. We knock that fucker out, tie him down and milk his sorry ass for every drop of info we can get," he said resolutely. "But that's _only if_ he's part of Root. He could be working for someone else entirely, for all we know," he said with a slight frown. "Which is why it's important as hell for you to pretend that you don't know jack. Got it? Can you do that?"

"Tch," Sasuke clicked his tongue as he frowned. "What do you take me for?"

Naruto laughed as he stood up. "Well, you've got the attitude down pat," he said with a grin as he started walking over to the door. "Did Kakashi-san tell you I'm supposed to be some kind of aide?" He asked, to which Sasuke nodded. "Good. I'm starting with your team tomorrow morning. Dunno how much good I'll be, but I'm gonna give it my best anyway."

"You've been gone for six years," Sasuke said suddenly. "Nobody knows what happened to you. You changed a lot… Do you think you're strong?"

"Is that a challenge I hear?" Naruto asked with a wry grin. The only response he received was another half-smirk from Sasuke. "Well, you'll just have to wait until tomorrow morning and see, Ducky. If there's sparring involved in your training, you'll find out how strong I am soon enough," he said with a grin. "You might wanna call it an early night – you need your rest for tomorrow," he said with a cocky smile and a wave as he left, not even looking back as he closed the door.

_Heh… He's a lively one, at least, _Naruto thought as he left the apartment complex and started speeding towards the training ground where his tent was set up. _Just like Kakashi-san said – eager to get stronger, trying to find new people to pit himself against. Kinda reminds me of how I started out with magic. Ah, good times…_ He grinned as he leapt across the rooftops.

_Man… This mission might actually be kick-ass!_

* * *

"We have gathered all the information you have requested of us, my lord."

A grunt came from a tall, hunched figure as it stood on a cliff looking down at the place where he had arrived, his tattered cloak fluttering in the wind as the moonlight danced of the shiny surface of the steel hand clutching an old, withered, rusted staff. It was a quaint little island, nestled in between three smaller blotches of land in an otherwise massive ocean. Despite the impressive size of the main island, the figure knew that it would cause no small amount of difficulty when he finally started his conquest of the Elemental Nations. This island was not large enough to support his army. He would need to find a land large enough to sustain the full might of his legions of terror.

But first, he had to find the snake-wretch.

The figure turned to face the person who had addressed him, a slight frown evident on the portion of his face that was not covered by a ratty, stringy fringe. A single emerald-coloured eye gazed at the man kneeling before the figure, and the frown dissipated. "…Speak… What have you discovered?" The figure's voice was distorted by the large gas mask covering half his face, and as a breeze flowed over the cliff, the ratty hair covering half of the man's face blew away – revealing the red, mechanical eye and the steel plating that stretched from the eye socket right to the temple, seemingly welded onto the man's face. "…Do you have any knowledge of the snake-wretch?_"_

"It was… an arduous task, my lord…" The figure's accomplice lowered his head even more. Black, form-fitting chainmail clung to his chest and left arm, while the right was decked with dark plate right up to the shoulder, starting with an ominous gauntlet with clawed fingertips, and ending with a pauldron inscribed with the visage of a sneering, demonic face. A similar gauntlet covered the man's left hand, this one devoid of any sharp fingertips, although a short shard of steel still protruded from the elbow. Similar plate adorned the man's lower body, consisting of ornate greaves, sheets of armour covering the thighs, and a belt that seemed to double as some kind of stomach protection. The lack of a helmet showed dark, slicked-back hair that trailed down into a long braid, and a steel mask of sorts hung from his clenched fist. "The only thing we could discover was that the snake-wretch had a lair close by, and that his name is 'Orochimaru'."

"Orochimaru?" The robed figure frowned as he spoke the name.

"Their language is ridiculous, lord," the warrior spoke as he rose to his feet, reattaching the mask to face – the moonlight illuminated the visage of a skull carved into it. "Without the runes and glyphs we use to overcome any language barriers, we'd have even less than we do now."

The robed figure grunted. "…Where are we?"

"This place is called 'Mother Island', lord," the warrior spoke as he stood next to his master, "in an area known as the Land of the Sea," he snorted. "Can't imagine _why_ they'd call it that."

"Curb your sarcasm and save it for your enemies,_"_ the robed figure growled as he looked down the cliff, frowning when he saw lights from campfires and towns in the darkness. His armies were far too vast for this island, even without the majority of the beast-men and the Legions of the Three at his disposal, and the three small islands he could see in the distance were hardly even fit for standard encampments, let alone the grotesque palaces and tainted spires he'd use to bolster his army. No, he could not mobilize his army yet, no matter how much he wished to. At _best_, it seemed, he could bring a battalion through the gates – maybe two – but such paltry numbers would do little against the ninjas… especially with those _damnable beasts_ under their control. He was hoping, praying with every fibre in his being that each of the beasts had been contained – otherwise, he feared, this dominion would be the most difficult one he would ever undertake.

"How many inhabitants are on this island, Virgo?" He turned to face the warrior. "How many people will I add to my ranks this night?"

"We have yet to start counting the inhabitants, lord," the warrior, now identified as Virgo, spoke up. "There are quite a few settlements on this island. Counting them at this stage is beyond us – I have, however, taken the initiative, lord. I've dispatched one-hundred of the soldiers we brought to seize any and all docks and ports around the island, and the few gargoyles we brought along are scouring the beaches and cliffsides for any other means of escape. Sorana has already left to secure a fleet for us – she got wind of someone named 'Gato', apparently he owns a shipping business so our transport problem is solved," he said as he turned to face his lord. "The other four-hundred soldiers stand ready to begin the purge, my lord. We wait only on your command, Lord Agnes."

The robed figure turned to gaze out across the sea once more. Five hundred of his finest undead warriors had accompanied him to this land – five hundred powerful, durable, well-equipped undead legionnaires who would slaughter combatant and civilian alike at his whims. They were fearsome in their own right – they were undead, after all. They felt no pain. They felt no pity. They felt no remorse. They strove solely to carry out his will, and by that devotion _no-one –_ not men, not women, not even children – were spared the wrath of their weapons. Their devotion bordered on overwhelming zeal – if Agnes ordered them to slaughter a village, they would do so post-haste. If he ordered them to bolster his forces on the battlefield they would make their way to frontlines and rally the troops into a renewed charge with raised weapons and booming voices. If Agnes ordered them to prevent his enemies from taking a position, they would hold it to the last legionnaire and destroy the position before they fell.

Such was the devotion Roderick Agnes had at his very fingertips. The legionnaires were ready and rearing for a slaughter – and he would not keep them from their wishes. With a scowl, he turned to face his right-hand man, and with a cold voice, he spoke.

"Kill them, Virgo. _Kill them all_."

* * *

…**Well, at least it's not almost 40 000 words again, right?**

**I had to rewrite the first scene several times, and something about the scene with Naruto and Sasuke just doesn't feel right to me, but I've changed it so many times it's practically worthless to keep trying. **

**Nonetheless, I got an update out. Here's to hoping it's up to your standards.**

**Thanks again to everyone who read, reviewed and followed this story. The hits are through the roof – it's amazing.**

**Until next update,  
-Chaos.**


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